


Sanctuary Night (Kaito Kid X OC)

by LouieNmiar



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: F/M, Literature, Romance, fan fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-17
Updated: 2017-11-09
Packaged: 2018-05-07 05:44:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 34,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5445401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LouieNmiar/pseuds/LouieNmiar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rie Kuro, an average Ekoda High student, had her father murdered by unnamed Organization eight years ago because of his vast knowledge of the Pandora, a gem said to shed tears of immortality, including its location. Ironically, the Kuro family is a family of assassins. What would happen if a young yet trained assassin meets a renowned phantom thief during his pursuit of the famous Pandora?</p>
<p>All canon characters from the Detective Conan franchise belongs to their respective owners. I only own the story itself. Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

"Otou-san... I... I can't...!" Said a young girl breathing heavily as she went through a rigorous training from Ryo Kuro, master assassin. Her father gently approached her and laid a hand on her shoulder.

  


"You can do this, my daughter... I know you can. Just a few more and we'll be up on the summit." Ryo softly said, pointing upwards at the top of the mountain. 

  


\----

  


Father and daughter, Ryo and Rie Kuro belong to a long chain of assassins. They do not kill for the money or the fame. Their hearts belong to killings of justice. Corrupt politicians, undignified criminals and ruthless clans of other assassins - those were their usual targets. Trained at a young age, reaching the standards of an expert by the time of puberty. Contrary to most assumptions, taking another's life is their clan's last resort for victory. Kidnappings and mental tortures were all it took for their targets to confess to their crimes. The confession will then be set out to the public and the captured will be freed. All this is done in silence. All this, done by one clan. A clan called 'Sanctuary Night'.

  


\----

  


Rie couldn't take another step and finally dropped down to the ground, desperately taking in air. Her father sighed and sat down next to her, pulling out a towel before tending to his daughter.

  


"You did well today, Rie-chan. You climbed up more than yesterday!" He happily said, wiping off her sweat as she smiled weakly at him. He took hold of her, carrying her on his back and jumped up onto the highest branch of the nearest tree. He set her down next to him as she finally caught her breath.

  


"Look at the night sky, Rie-chan... Isn't it beautiful?" He asked in a very soft voice. The little girl nodded in reply as she took in the sight of a million twinkling stars above her. 

  


"The night is endless. It may be stopped by the day, but it will not end." The man said, pulling his daughter close. "You are just like the night, my dear Rie." Her dark indigo eyes quickly looked away from the sky and straight on to her father's. She blinked twice, not understanding what her father just said.

  


'Father and his mumbo jumbo again...' The girl thought, her eyes not wavering from its gaze.

  


"Tonight, you may have stopped here, but tomorrow, as a new night arrives, you will go further. Further and further until you reach the top. There, you will find a new goal, then, the night will continue on." He finished as he took hold of his daughter once more on his back and dropped down.

  


"Race you back home, Rie-chan! Look out for the vines this time, okay?" Before the girl can even respond, her father had vanished. She quietly giggled and followed suit, running almost as fast as her father was. 

  


Rie arrived home, greeted by her grinning father and smiling mother. 

  


"I'm home!" She cheerfully said, running into their embrace. 

  


"Welcome back, sweetheart. I see that your father stubbornly challenged you to a race again, huh?" Fusae, her mother, joked. The girl pretended to pout as she nodded, pointing an accusing finger at her father. The culprit raised his hands in surrender.

  


"H-hey, I still get my curry, don't I?" He pleaded. Rie tugged on her mother's dress while shaking her head no. Fusae giggled at her daughter's antics and tapped the other end of the serving spoon on Ryo's head.

  


"That's for not letting Rie-chan win. And this," she used the same spoon and added more curry to Rie's plate, "is for not apologizing."

  


The happy child leaped off of her mother's lap and started to eat, thinking her father might take it away.

  


"W-what!? But she doesn't even like curry!" Ryo protested to which Fusae replied with taking his whole plate away. "N-no, I take it back!" He continued, trying to grab his plate that was put on the other side of the table. Suddenly, an outburst was heard. The couple looked over to their child only to see her fanning her hand over mouth. Ryo handed her a glass of water which she gladly took. After doing a bottoms up, the poor girl looked up to her parents bashfully.

  


The family of three laughed as they continued to have their dinner. 

  


But then everything changed with a flick of a wrist.

  


Suddenly, the little girl and her mother were incredibly afraid as they hid together in the closet as the man they've come to love is fighting a dreadful enemy right outside the closet door. Rie sobbed as quietly as she can and clung to her mother tightly while Fusae desperately tried to cover her daughter's ears. The terrified girl can see all of the horrifying events unfold from the tiny crack behind the door of their hiding place.

  


Ryo was up against a man in a dark suit with a matching black fedora. The only notable feature about him was his horseshoe mustache. The man had Ryo at gunpoint, but the Sanctuary Night was faster than the bullets. He had the choice to dodge them, to deflect them or to cut them. That was the prowess of a master assassin. 

  


Swear words were thrown back and forth between Ryo and a black suited man. 

  


"I'll never tell you where it is! You won't get the information from my family either, they're off the mountain by now! Leave my house right this instant, you no-good, thieving bastard!" Ryo pulled out another knife and held it firmly as he threatened the invader with it. The suited man merely chuckled.

  


"Your stubbornness has always been your flaw, legendary Sanctuary Night." The enemy growled in a raspy voice but Rie's father remained unfazed.

  


"A flaw I choose to embrace!" Ryo roared as he used the last of his strength and charged again, making a clean cut on the intruder's left forearm. The assassin was utterly weakened, trying all his might to get up and create distance between him and his assailant. The man only winced in pain and shakily held up his gun.

  


"This was your last chance. Go into the sanctuary within the night, scum." A gunshot was heard. Then another. Then, a thud. Then finally, silence. Heart wrenching silence echoed throughout the little living room, only faint cries are heard. 

  


The invaders have left, the Kuro household has been turned upside down, and the man of the house is long gone.

  


Then, she sprang awake.


	2. Chapter 2

Then, she sprang awake.

"When will it stop... It's been eight years..." She mumbled, sitting up and massaging her black hair. After a good rubbing of her eyes, she groggily stood up, put on her glasses and walked to her bathroom. Her mom heard the sound of the shower running from downstairs and called out to her.

"Rie-chan! Breakfast is ready! Hurry up, and get to school already!" Fusae's voice reached Rie's ears clearly as she nodded while drying herself, knowing her mother can't see her. 

'Why do I dream of the same thing every other night...? It's... Terrifying... I'm sixteen, for the god's sake. I should be over that conniving, father killing piece of cra-' She stopped herself mid-thought, sighed deeply and grunted while brushing her hair and tying it into its usual braid. She took out a few strands from the left side of her scalp and pulled them out, her bangs taking its seat by her left ear. Satisfied with her hair, she stepped out of the bathroom and back to her room to finally get into her uniform.

'Ekoda High... New school, new rules, I guess. Couldn't be as bad as the delinquent school I attended last year. I almost killed a guy. I know I'm born to be an assassin but I don't think... I can live up to it. Seeing Otou-san... Right before my eyes... I don't think I can do something that sinister. At least, not immediately. Talk their crimes out of them first, like father always said.' She thought as she fixed the red ribbon under her dark navy blue blouse collar. Straightening her matching navy blue skirt, she took her bag and trudged down the stairs. Plopping down on a chair, she sped through her cereal in a few seconds and headed for the door.

"Rie-chan... How many times have I told you not to rush your meals?" Her mother scolded, her hands on her hips. Rie went to her and hugged her goodbye.

"Sorry Okaa-san... It's a habit from all the training you've put me through." She snickered, sending her mom a smile as she walked towards the door again.

"Oh so now it's my fault? Your father would've whacked you over the head for that." She replied with a sad smile of her own.

"Mom..." Rie's voice was full of concern and sadness towards her mother at the mention of her dad. She swore she saw tears in her mother's eyes.

"S-sorry, I just... I'm still sad about it but I'm trying to cope, okay honey? Go on to school now, tell me how you wrecked the place when you get home." She joked once more.

"Mom...!" Rie immediately smiled and rolled her eyes in reply, waving a final goodbye and walked out their apartment.

Rie inhaled deeply as she left the building, standing right outside of it. She debated whether to run or walk and decided on the former. She took her stance - right foot forward, left foot ready to launch. She grinned, thinking that being an assassin in times like these wasn't so bad.

'I get to run at full speed whenever I want.' With that thought, she began to run. 

Rie Kuro might not be as fast as the world's fastest runner, but she can put up quite the pace of 10 meters per second. In less than five minutes, she was at school without breaking a single sweat. She took in a deep breath and entered the offices. She got her class number, class 2-B, and debated again whether to run or walk. She chose to walk and let her feet get comfy first. 

Rie was not the smartest of people but she wasn't below average. It only took her four times to get lost in the hallways before she found her homeroom class. Now she wished she chose to run. 

'Running on a flat surface is much easier than running on a slope. Those mountain sprints were deadly, if I do say so myse-' Her thoughts were interrupted by a pervert who flipped her skirt. Unfortunately for him, she wore cyclings over her underwear. 

That, and also the fact that he was too slow to dodge as she stuck out her foot from under him. The guy faceplanted close to her feet as a group of girls arrived. They began screaming at the poor guy, scolding him for flipping up their skirts as well. Rie decided against getting involved any further and slowly backed away.

But no, she just had to bump into a loudest girl from the group. She had dark brown hair and very messy bangs. Her hair went a little past her elbows. The girl had dark blue eyes and a cutesy smile, a cheerful aura surrounding her fittingly.

"S-Sorry, I wasn't loo-"

"You're the one who taught him a lesson, right? Thank you! I'm Aoko Nakamori, and that pervert is BaKaito." Aoko grabbed Rie's hands and smiled widely at her. Rie mentally dropped a sweat as she nervously laughed.

"Sh-shucks, you're welcome, I guess?" Rie replied while subtly taking back her hands. She tugged on her braid and continued, "I'm Rie, Rie Kuro. It's nice to meet you, Nakamori-san. Though I can't say the same for that guy." She pointed to 'BaKaito' who was now running away from the group of girls.

"He's always doing that to us, I'm just happy someone finally-" Aoko was cut off by our homeroom teacher, who just entered the room.

"Settle down, settle down. Back to your seats." The others scampered back to their desks. Rie, on the other hand, stood in front of the room, with arms laid back and eyes staring upwards into space. The homeroom teacher cleared her throat, bringing the black-haired back.

"I assume you are Ms. Kuro?" Her teacher asked Rie to which she replied with a nod. "I'm Ms. Fukawa, and I'll be your homeroom teacher this year." Ms. Fukawa seemed satisfied with Rie's silent answer, ignoring its lack of enthusiasm. Then, she turned to the rest of the class. "Everyone, please greet your new classmate, Ms. Rie Kuro." She spoke loudly, gesturing to the mentioned student. Rie slowly but surely faced the class, and curtly bowed.

"Glad to meet you guys. Please take care of me." A chorus of greetings came as a response. When the class quieted down, Ms. Fukawa whispered to Rie.

"Take the seat behind Aoko-chan, Rie-chan." The girl nodded once more and went to her seat.

'Second to the last row, third column... Smack dab in the middle of the room. Perfect." She smirked. 'A great year, this should be.'

Nothing special happened for the morning subjects. On to lunch.


	3. Chapter 3

Nothing special happened for the morning subjects. On to lunch.

"Ne, Rie-chan?" Aoko chirped, rotating her chair to face Rie. Unsurprisingly, Rie was staring off somewhere far again, twirling a pen between her fingers. Aoko huffed and clapped in front of her face, effectively catching her attention.

"Hmm, what?" Rie was dazed, to say the least. She'd been thinking of her training later at night. 

"Aren't you going to eat lunch yet?" Aoko asked, putting up her bento box and showing it to her. Rie simply shook her head no.

"Aw, why not? You didn't bring one? We can share if you want." She offered, placing the box on top of Rie's desk. Rie stared at the food, not really focusing on it. Aoko took this into concern.

"You're really quiet, huh?" She asked again, starting to eat her food.

"Well of course she's quiet. You're scaring her, Ahoko." The pervert seated on the desk to the left of Aoko commented.

The boy matched Aoko in terms of hairstyle - dark brown and very messy bangs, sticking out everywhere. He, of course, didn't have it as long as Aoko's but he did have it long enough to be spiky behind his head. His eyes were a little darker compared to Aoko's, and his smile was playful. 

'BaKaito, was it...? I thought that was his actual name but now I see it's more of an insult thing between couples.' She stared at the boy with a frown forming on her lips.

"Shut up, BaKai-" Suddenly, the boy disappeared from Rie's sight and reappeared beside her.

"I don't think I properly introduced myself. The name's Kaito Kuroba." He stuck out a blue rose and handed it to Rie, who took it without so much as a smile.

"Rie. Rie Kuro. But you already know that. Thanks for the plant." She replied, putting the rose on his ear. Kaito reeled back at the sudden action while Aoko laughed.

"Oh my goodness, Kaito, it's looks perfect on you!" She said, clutching her stomach from laughing too much. Even Rie offered a small grin. The embarrassed boy quickly removed the flower from his ear and waved his hand in a circle, making it disappear. Rie couldn't help but be intrigued with Kaito's tricks.

"A magician, are you now?" She asked, staring at Kaito's hands. Aoko was still giggling in front of her so Rie handed her a water bottle from her bag, hoping it'll calm her down. Kaito stood up straight and struck a pose.

"You got that right, one of the best magicians around!" He proclaimed. 

'Arrogant... Boastful...' Judgments rolled in Rie's mind.

"I hate you..." She muttered absentmindedly. The two didn't hear her over their bickering which was fortunate. Lunch continued on like that, Kaito and Aoko arguing, with Rie looking somewhere else. As soon as the day started, the school bell that signaled the end of class rung.

'Well, there it goes.' Rie thought as she packed up her things. 'So first, I do the 20 km run around the city. That'll take around half an hour... Perfect. After that, I go straight home and eat dinner. Then, I go out and practice my parkour over houses while also practicing my stealth. Good thing roofs here are not made of metal. It won't make much noise...' She stood up and headed for the door. She was about to leave when Kaito appeared before her, blocking the way.

"Excuse me..." She said. To her dismay, Kaito shook his head no, smirking down at Rie. "I need to go, please get out of my way." She continued. 

"For a kiss." He finally replied. Before Rie can pull out a knife, she heard Aoko's voice.

"Rie-chan, duck!" Without turning to look at Aoko, she did as she was told and quickly moved to her left. A mop sailed through where she stood a few seconds before and hit Kaito right on the face, launching him past the doorway and onto the hallway wall. Rie stood back up and grinned at Aoko, who was walking towards her.

"Awesome shot, you saved me there, Nakamori-san." Aoko smiled and waved her hand dismissively.

"Rie-chan, call me Aoko! We're friends now! No need to be so formal." She patted Rie on the shoulder and gave her a thumbs up.

'Friends... It's been a long time since someone called me that.'

"Okay then, Aoko-chan." Rie gave Aoko a peek of her rare closed-eye smiles.

"Much better!" She looked very happy, to Rie's relief. "Say, can I join you in your walk home? I'm sure it won't be that far from mine." She asked while hooking arms with Rie. The sudden contact sent a jolt throughout Rie's system but as soon as Aoko's face was registered into her thoughts, she relaxed.

"Sure, why not. It's an apartment building though." Rie mentioned, pulling Aoko with her as she stepped through the doorway.

"If it gets too far, I'll just call my dad to pick me up. Although... Now that I think about it, he might be busy..." Aoko looked away, eyes full of sadness. 

"Busy? With his job?" Rie asked. Aoko nodded and took in a deep breath.

"He's a police officer. He's in charge of capturing Kaito Kid so he's always away from home." Aoko said in a hushed tone. A question mark popped up in Rie's head.

"Kaito Kid? I'm not sure I've heard that name before... Is he a criminal?" To both of their surprise, Kaito, who appeared behind them, was the one who replied.

"Kaito Kid is the best magicians in the world! I'm his number one fan! How can you not know who he is, Kuro-chan!?" Rie stopped on her tracks. She turned on her heels and leered at Kaito.

"I'm sorry, **what**?" She asked through gritted teeth. Kaito just smirked, knowing he struck a nerve.

"You heard me... **Ku-ro-chan**." He leered, his face leaning in closer to Rie's with every syllable. Now their faces were inches away from each other - Rie fuming with anger and Kaito brimming with sarcasm. Aoko just backed away and watched the two battle it out. It took a while for Rie to come up with a comeback. When she did, she clicked her tongue and looked away.

"Is Kuro-chan all you can think of? I thought a magician like you can be more creative. You disappoint me with your antics, Kuroba-kun." Then she paused, sending a glance in his direction. "Ku...ro...ba...kun... What a mouthful, **Kuro-kun** would fit nicely, wouldn't it?" In a split second, the positions changed.

Kaito was now the pissed one while Rie stood high on her pedestal. It stayed that way as they made it into Rie's apartment.

"I'm home, Mom! Brought some friends! Well... More like **a** friend, the other... Not so much." Rie called out. Fusae hummed an uninterested tune from their kitchen and continued making dinner. Kaito didn't take the insult from Rie too well, though.

"Oh please, don't think you're my friend, either, Kuro-chan." He scoffed. Rie ignored him and gave her attention to Aoko.

"Aoko-chan, please stay for dinner. It's lonely with only my mom and me all the time." She offered, leading them to the guest area. 

"Of course! We'd love to stay, if you insist!" Aoko agreed, taking a seat on the couch.

"I'd rather not, Kuro-chan might lace my food with poisoni-" Aoko elbowed Kaito while still smiling at me, like she didn't do anything. "I.. I mean, sure... Dinner it will be..." Kaito groaned, grabbing the sofa edge and sitting down on the opposite end. Then, they started bickering again. 

"I'll call you when the food's ready." Rie went into the kitchen and hugged her mom from behind.

"We're having stew tonight, dear. Will that be okay for your friends?" She asked, stirring the pot.

"Mm-hmm! I'm sure it'll be fine. Make only three servings, by the way." Rie said, leaning her chin and Fusae's shoulder. The woman tilted her head in question.

"You're not going to eat?"

"Oh, I will."

"It's the boy, isn't it."

"Yup." Rie popped the 'p'.

"You're not going to give him dinner."

"Uh-huh." Rie was staring into the pot of deliciousness.

"Rie." Fusae's tone was deep.

"But-" Rie's rose a little higher, like a child's.

"You're giving him dinner."

"But Mom, he doesn't even want to-"

"It's that, or you're not getting food."

"No, no I take it back!" She pulled away from her mom, laughing. Fusae laughed with her.

"Go and chat with them. It'll be ready in a few minutes."

"Okay, love you, Mom." Rie said as her mother hummed in reply.

While this was going on in the kitchen, another scene unfolded in the guest area.

"Look at all the swords, Kaito. It's like a ninja museum." Aoko gawked, looking left and right to see the weapons that were displayed on the cabinets, shelves and walls. "Do you think Rie-chan's father is a collector or something?" She bounced in her seat, facing her best friend.

" **Ahoko**. Of course he is. Why else would these be here? What, do you think Kuro-chan uses these weapons? Bet she can't even swing it properly!" Kaito rolled his eyes, but he was amazed at the merchandise himself. At the back of his mind, something was telling him there's a bigger story behind it all.

"Can you stop insulting her **and** me all the time!? It's not nice, Kaito." Aoko snapped, knowing the boy was more than what he's showing right now.

"Tell that to her first. She's always so dull, like her cat died or something." He said with a frown.

"Well maybe she's just misunderstood. We just met her after all. I'm sure she'll be more open to us the more we know about her." Aoko replied, her tone calming down. Kaito didn't say anything anymore about Rie.

'I'm not mean,' he thought, 'it's her who has a problem. Calling me Kuro-kun... It's not even clever. Now our names just match. ... Okay maybe it's a little clever. No one's thought of that before, not even Ahoko.' He pulled out the rose he gave her. 'Not to mention she tripped me! Who even **wears** cyclings? Rie-chan's weird...' He finished.

'I think Rie-chan's nice. BaKaito is just angry that someone stood up to his tricks. That pervert always picked on me, but with Rie-chan around, he'll finally stop. How can he not think of her as a friend! She's nice, and pretty, and from the answered questions the teachers asked her in class, she's really intelligent too!' Aoko was thinking about Rie as well, but in a different light. 

Not hearing these thoughts, Rie arrived at a scene with a severe case of the silent treatment. Aoko and Kaito were looking away from each other, occupying opposite ends of the couch. 

'Nowhere to sit but between them I guess... Are they having a love quarrel?' Rie wondered while taking her seat. She looked back and forth between them, not knowing what to say. 

"So, who cheated on who?" She snickered, catching them both off guard. 

"What!? I'm not dating that ugly girl!" Kaito pointed at Aoko, who was pointing at Kaito yelling, "That's gross, Rie-chan! Yuck!" Rie just rolled her eyes at them and leaned back, propping up her feet onto the coffee table and took off her glasses. Aoko immediately asked a question.

"Ne, Rie-chan. How bad is your eyesight?" Rie raised an eyebrow and handed her glasses over to Aoko, who hurriedly put them on while Kaito watched, equally curious. Not a second later, she removed it and gave it back. "W-woah, that was nauseating. How'd your eyesight turn that bad?" She followed up, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey, hey, I wanna try." Kaito said, staring at the Rie's eyeglasses. She shrugged and gave it to him, who did the same as Aoko. "Wow, that's really bad. Were you born with such bad vision, Kuro-chan?" He returned the eyewear as he shook his head to rid of the dizziness. Rie slightly growled at the insult but breathed in to answer anyway.

"Exposure to flash bombs." She answered, leaving the two in a more confused state that before. "It's part of my- Uhhh," She caught herself before mentioning her training and recovered by saying, "My bonding with dad. He liked fireworks. Yeah. We would stand real close to where to set the fireworks off, so my eyes got used to the blinding lights." She nervously chuckled. Aoko hummed and nodded while Kaito stayed quiet.

'Fireworks, huh? I'm not buying it. Flash bombs are different. They're way brighter than fireworks. Trust me, I know. I use them a lot.' He thought. Not convinced, Kaito questioned further.

"Your dad liked fireworks?" He asked, fidgeting closer to Rie. She nodded at his question. "Speaking of your dad, where is he?" Rie visibly stiffened at the question.

'Gotcha. I knew she was hiding something-'

"Dinner's ready, children!" Fusae interrupted. Rie and Aoko immediately stood up and went to the dining area, leaving Kaito to curse such bad timing. They each took their seats - Kaito and Aoko at one side and Rie and Fusae at another.

"Thank you for the meal!" They said in unison and began eating.

Topics over dinner were nothing of note. Ekoda High in general, Aoko and Kaito's background as students, Rie's embarrassing moments from her previous schools. Mostly Fusae was the one asking questions, you know how moms are.

It was time for them to head home.

"Your mom is cool, Rie-chan. To think she's an accomplished doctor! She looks so young too!" Aoko said, hauling up a cab. Rie lopsidedly smiled and huffed.

'Well, someone needs to tend to mine and dad's wounds whenever we come home injured. Can't really trust doctors these days.' Rie thought, almost laughing to herself.

"Her cooking is awesome too. I'm full! Ahoko, remind me to come to Kuro-chan's house whenever I'm looking for some free food." Kaito exclaimed with a satisfied sigh. The girls punched him over the head at the same time for the nicknames.

"Night, you two. See you in school tomorrow." Rie waved them goodbye as the cab sped away.

Rie just stared into the distance, watching the cab take a turn and out of sight. She just stood there in silence, before thoughts started forming on their own in her mind.

'... I was really looking forward to my 20 km run today... Dammit.' She hung her head and trudged back to her apartment, sulking slightly.


	4. Chapter 4

\-- The Next Day, Class 2-B --

Rie opened the door and was greeted by the screams of her female classmates.

"He's doing a heist tonight!!!"

"Are we going, are we going!?"

"Of course we are, baka!"

"It's been a while since he showed himself!"

"Yeah, he didn't do a heist last night, I was so bored!"

And it went on and on as Rie made her way to her seat.

'Geez, so hyper early in the morning. What is up with these... Girls...?' Rie felt a dark presence near her. She looked around, her gaze landing on Aoko who was sitting on her chair with her head lowered. 'She must be giving Kaito the silent treatment again...' Rie thought as she turned instinctively to look at Kaito... Who wasn't even there in his seat. Rie's blood went cold as she feared what Aoko might've done to him.

"A.. Aoko-chan...?" She tapped her shoulder.

'No response... This is bad...' Rie thought, but she persisted, "Aoko-chaaaan...?" She heard a low growl from her. 'Close enough!'

"N-ne, Aoko-chan... Do you know what these girls are screaming about or--"

"KAITO KID, RIE-CHAN. I HATE HIM, I HATE HIM, I HATE HIM!!!" Aoko broke, shouting at the top of her lungs. Being right next to her, Rie could feel her eardrums pop. "Me and Dad were supposed to have dinner tonight but now he's busy with that stupid thief again! I've waited weeks for this date, now he ruined it! I hate him so much!!!" She stood up and stomped her way out of the room, leaving a deaf Rie with her knees on the floor and her head leaning on Aoko's desk.

'What... Just happened...' Rie's hearing gradually came back as she picked herself up and reached her seat. Kaito walked in right after Aoko stormed out and saw Rie. 

'Ah, Kuro-chan's already here...' He smirked as he decided to pick on her again. As soon as Rie sat down, she felt something poking her shoulder. When she turned her head to look, a rose's thorn wounded her cheek. She hissed and cupped her cheek. She glared at a shocked Kaito and took out her handkerchief.

"G-gomen, Rie-chan! I... I didn't mean to! Here, let me..." Kaito kneeled down next to her seat, waved his hand clockwise and revealed the handkerchief Rie was holding just a second ago, taking away her hand from her cheek and dabbing at the blood on the wound. "I'm really sorry. From all the safe roses I have, it's the thorny one I took out..." He said in a whispery tone. 

"It's fine, Kaito-kun. Thanks for stealing my handkerchief-"

"BaKaito!!! Tell your idol to stop ruining people's plans to go out, will you!?" The door slammed open, Aoko still in a fit. Kaito stood up straight and held up his hands.

"H-hey, I'm not his manager! Kid-sama's gotta go when Kid-sama's gotta go, you know?" He laughed nervously. Rie put her arms on her desk and laid her head down between them while Aoko made her way next to Kaito.

"I swear, when Otou-san catches that no-good thief, I'm going to laugh so hard at his face..." She muttered loud enough for us to hear.

"What's the deal with this thief anyway? Why is he so famous?" Rie asked, lifting her head a little. The two took their seats in front of her and began.

"Kaito Kid is this phantom thief who steals famous jewels! He always leaves a note before his heists as clues about which gem he's going to steal, when he'll appear, and where people should expect him to appear. A big show off, if you ask me!" Aoko explained. Rie couldn't help but perk up at the mention of gems.

'Pandora...' She thought, 'It can't be...' She dismissed the idea as Kaito continued.

"He's a great magician and a master of disguise! He can copy anyone's voice without any kind of device. He wears this all-white suit! With a cape and a top hat and even a monocle! He even has his own fan club full of girls." Kaito added. Rie arched a brow at the boy.

"A monocle? What is this, 18th Century?" Rie said with a smirk.

"His monocle is cool, shut up. You're just jealous he only gets to wear one eyeglass while you need to wear two, Kuro-chan." Kaito retorted, personally hurt. The girl rolled her eyes at him and turned to Aoko.

"And your dad... Nakamori-san... Is the lead detective on the case?" Aoko nodded, pouting. "They still haven't caught him? He sounds more like a performer than an actual thief, in my opinion. A sham." Rie scoffed. Unfortunately, the screaming girls heard her.

"He is not a sham! He's all sorts of cool!"

"You just haven't seen him!"

"He's the best thief in the world!"

"If you're so smart, why don't you try to catch him!"

"Bet you yen she can't!"

"Haha, sucker's bet!" Their attention drifted away from Rie and back to their Kid-related fantasies.

"... I never said I was smart, what the heck." Rie muttered. Aoko, suddenly cheery again, patted Rie's head.

"Don't mind them, Rie-chan. They just don't like hearing the truth about that stupid thief. They don't really get it." She said. Rie nodded in understanding.

"Whatever, they can say what they want." Rie replied, sighing. 

"Ne, Kuro-chan? Want to attend his heist later? It'll be fun!" Kaito offered with a big smile. She stared at him for a few seconds before answering.

"Sure, why not." She shrugged, not really caring. Ms. Fukawa came in and everyone went back to their seats. Rie put her head down between her arms again as her thoughts began to wander.

'Kaito Kid... He steals jewels and always gets away with it. What if he knows where the Pandora is? I need to talk to him. But how... Should I bust out as Sanctuary Night later? I haven't used my gear in a long while... It would be nice- Wait, what if he's in league with the horseshoe mustache man? I can't let them know a Sanctuary Night descendant exists... I can't let anyone know I exist... Kid... He's the only lead I've had since-'

"Kuro-san!" Ms. Fukawa shouted, causing Rie to raised her head and sluggishly sit up straight. Everyone in the class was looking at her, even Aoko and Kaito. "Stand up, please." Rie adjusted her glasses and obeyed.

"Tell me, what is the unknown value in example number five?" Ms. Fukawa asked. Rie's uninterested eyes settled on the board for a second and continued to dart around the room. She knew the answer, it's the murmurs about her being an airhead that was distracting her. Aoko looked at her expectantly with a smile.

'She knows this. She probably does. You can do it, Rie-chan!' Aoko screamed in her thoughts. Rie nodded towards Aoko as if she read her thoughts and noticed Kaito's smirk.

'That's what you get for sleeping during class, Kuro-chan.' He mouthed out the last part and this got on Rie's nerves. 

"... Negative ninety-six, Ms. Fukawa." Rie answered, glaring at Kaito. Kaito glared back. Their teacher ignored the spontaneous staring contest as she waved a dismissive hand at Rie.

"Correct, you may sit down." Rie said thank you, sat down and, with a huff, put her head down again.

'.... I bet it was him who called Ms. Fukawa to make me recite...'

Soon, the end of class bell rung and students hurried out their classrooms.


	5. Chapter 5

Soon, the end of class bell rung and students hurried out their classrooms. 

'I still don't know if I should go Sanctuary Night later...! School's over and the heist's gonna be at 8pm...! I need to decide now or else-' 

"Ne, Rie-chan. What's with the scary face?" Aoko interrupted Rie's thoughts. The girl in question widened her eyes for a split second and relaxed.

"It's... Nothing. Just thinking about what Mom will cook later." She lied. 

"You looked way too stressed over dinner. Really, Kuro-chan, what's wrong?" Kaito caught on. 

"It's nothing important. Shut up, Kuro-kun." Rie said, zipping up her bag and standing up. They followed her actions. Then, the three walked out the classroom and eventually out the gates.

Kaito noticed that Rie was spacing out again, the same way she had before. He was subconsciously worrying about her.

"Neeeee, Kuro-chaaaan. Tell us really what's wrong..." He insisted.

"I told you, Kuro-kun. I'm fine, promise. Heavy thoughts, that's all." Rie nonchalantly replied, failing to ease Kaito's worries.

'Oh yeah, fine. Of course everything's fine. It's not like I'm worrying about you. Yeah, I'm buying that. Not.' He grunted, letting it slide.

"Yeah, BaKaito. If she says things are fine, things are fine. She wouldn't lie to us, you idiot." Aoko added, holding up her hand to Rie who responded with a high-five. Kaito rolled his eyes at the girls.

"Okay fine. Geez, you girls and your unspoken conversations. Let's just meet up at the museum at quarter to eight, got that?" Kaito reminded. We nodded and went separate ways.

Rie waited until they were far enough, then, took her stance. 

'Right foot forward, left foot ready to launch, in 3, 2, 1!'

"Rie-chan!" Rie faceplanted as she stopped herself on her first stride. Aoko and Kaito ran up to her, out of breath. Then, they helped her up.

"Kuro-chan, you idiot, what happened!?"

"We just remembered that we should exchange phone numbers so we ran back, and then we saw you were about to run so I called out! But then you disappeared and reappeared on the ground!"

"I... I, uh, t-tripped..." Rie lied, rubbing her head. With the speed she was going and such a sudden stop, of course the momentum would launch her face first onto the street. She looked at the reasons for her fall and realized something. "Where are they? Where are my glasses!?" She dropped, patting the ground around her.

"Relax, Kuro-chan, I have it right here." Kaito chuckled, holding it up. Rie looked up at his general direction, everything is in a blur. Aoko pulled her up to stand once more, wrapping one arm by her waist and holding up half of her weight.

"Right where?" She blinked over and over but her sight didn't clear up. Kaito got a good look on her eyes as he stepped forward to put them back on her. He never had the chance to see how enchanting her eyes were since they were always behind glass. He couldn't resist to stare and lightly blush. Aoko noticed and coughed, smiling deviously and wriggling her eyebrows at him. Kaito snapped out of his trance and blushed even more, finally catching Rie's chin to hold her still and placing her eyewear back.

She blinked twice, thrice, the images before her were starting to clear themselves up. It took her seconds to realize the proximity of hers and Kaito's faces. Another couple of seconds passed before Rie's cheeks grew hot and gave out a red hue. They noticed each other's colors and pulled away, avoiding the other's gaze. In the silence, the three shouted thoughts in their minds.

Aoko, who stood back, thought, 'Oh my goodness, my little Kaito and my beloved Rie...! They're simply perfect for each other..!' She internally squealed as plans to get them together formed in her head.

Rie, who was adjusting and re-adjusting her glasses, screamed, 'What the heck was that about!? How could I- I can't breathe- There's no way that I- I just met him!' She rigorously shook her head, currently in the state of denial.

Finally Kaito, who wore an embarrassed face while looking away, yelled, 'Why... Why...! Why Rie-chan, of all girls? I just... It's just...! Her eyes... They're so beautiful... ... WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY'RE SO BEAUTIFUL. SHUT UP. Its just... I can't really... Deny it. Curse those stupid glasses! Not letting me see her eyes and junk... I bet she's doing it on purpose! Stop it, Kaito! You're thinking about this too much!' 

They simultaneously sighed, in happiness, in disappointment and in content respectively. Aoko was the one who broke the silence of course.

"So yeah! Phone numbers! Rie-chan, your phone, pretty please! You too, BaKaito." She smiled as they took out their phones and put it in her hands. 

"W-wait, Aoko, where's your phone?" Kaito stuttered. 

"Oh, it seems I forgot it at home! So only you two would exchange numbers today." She grinned even wider, punching in the numbers in their phones.

'She's... Lying...' Rie and Kaito thought. They let her do it though. Afterwards, Aoko threw back Rie's phone and returned Kaito's to him as well.

"Remember you two! Quarter to eight at the museum! Come on, BaKaito!" She waved goodbye to Rie and pushed Kaito who was in a mid-wave. Soon, they were truly out of sight.

"Ahoko, you didn't leave your phone at all, did you." Kaito deadpanned while slowing down from a run to a walk. Aoko hummed happily and matched his pace.

"Maaaaybe~" She cooed. 

"What do you mean 'Maybe'! What are you scheming now, huh?" He pestered.

"Nothing~! Come on, BaKaito, you just exchanged numbers with your lovey-dovey Ku-ro-chaaaan." She teased, nudging her elbow at him. Kaito let out a 'hmph' and looked away, a frown on his lips while a dark blush sat on his cheeks.

"Aha, you're not denying it! You love her!" Aoko exclaimed, jumping in front of him with a big smile. The flustered boy turned to face her with mouth agape in protest as he shouted, "It's not anything like that at all! I just... Her eyes were weird! It's like a blackhole, sucking you in!" He retorted.

"Kaito, her eyes are violet, not black." Aoko said, crossing her arms and pouting.

"Exactly! Dark violet, at that! It's like the galaxies! I mean- from afar, it looks the normal dark blue but when you see it up close, it's really violet!" He continued, not really thinking straight.

"But the galaxies are very pretty to look at, not weird at all." Aoko grinned to herself, sure that Kaito will fall for her trap.

"Yes, that's precisely what I'm saying! They're really pretty! ... Wait, no! Agh!" Aoko laughed while Kaito held his head between his hands and griped. Aoko then wiped away a tear and patted his head, "Relax, Kaito. You just have a huge crush on Rie-chan, that's all! I understand, she's pretty, she's friendly, she's really smart, a little cold and, yeah, dull sometimes but no one's perfect, right?" She comforted her best friend who just sighed.

"She doesn't even look like a girl with that flat chest of hers..." Kaito said in defeat. Aoko punched him hard over the head. "That's not nice, BaKaito!" She shouted while Kaito rubbed the spot she punched him on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait (?) I've been updating mostly on wattpad so if you guys want more consistent updates, find this story over there! ^^


	6. Chapter 6

Meanwhile, Rie sprinted off to her home, without any stops this time. She unlocked the door and went in, locking it back up and called out.

"I'm home, Okaa-san!" She left her shoes like always by the entrance and put on some slippers. She didn't hear her mom's reply. "Mom? Are you there?" She called out again, waiting for her voice. Still no response. 

'She must be downstairs...' Rie hopped back into her shoes and left their apartment. She ran downstairs normally and reached her mother's clinic. Rie shuddered. 

'This place gives me the chills... In an uncomfortable way...' She braced herself and knocked. The door opened after a minute and a hired nurse greeted Rie, telling her that 'Dr. Kuro' is busy with a patient so she needs to wait in the waiting area. Rie shivered again and hugged herself.

'In and out... Breathe in... And out... She'll be done soon. I know she will. Come on, mom...! Get outta there already...' Rie frantically repeated to calm herself. Then she thought of an idea. 'K-Kaito...! I can text him to distract myself...!' Rie dug into her skirt pocket and took out her phone. She immediately called Kaito.

"Moshi moshi, Kuro-chan... I didn't think you'd call so early, what's wrong?" Kaito answered. Rie breathed out, not noticing she was even holding her breath.

"I... I need some sort of company right now and there's no one but y-you so I hope I'm not bothering you, Kaito..." She said desperately. On the other end of the line, Aoko was leaning in close to Kaito's phone while he held it to his ear. While Aoko was busy listening in, Kaito felt as if a truck ran over him. 

'She called me by my first name properly... Just what kind of situation is she in that would make her do that...!?' The worry he had for Rie overwhelmed him. "What happened, Rie? Where are you? Are you hurt?" He asked, voice dripping with concern.

"Mom's clinic... I'm not... Fond of... Clinics, in general... She wasn't at the apartment so I came down here to wait for her. I can't wait outside either, then I'll never get her to leave with me. Just... Please talk to me while I wait." Her voice trembled while she shakily held on to her phone. Aoko gasped, feeling sorry for her friend.

"Kaito, we should go to her! She needs us!" Aoko said, tugging on his sleeve. Kaito stared off into space, stood still for a moment and suddenly sat down, dragging Aoko with him. "K-Kaito!"

"No. We stay here. Whether we are there with her or not isn't the issue. We just need to talk to her, right, Rie-chan?" Kaito shifted from talking to Aoko in a firm voice to Rie in a cheerier one. 

"R-right... Thank you for the thought, Aoko-chan."

"You're welcome, Rie-chan. Anything for a friend." Aoko replied, calming down.

"So! Let's talk about Kid-sama's heist later! Ne, Kuro-chaaaaan," Kaito emphasized into the phone to which Rie responded with a playful growl, "care to hear what his note read this time?" 

"You're gonna say it even if I say no..." Rie smiled, knowing Kaito's personality is really paying off. 

"You betcha! Ahoko, hold my phone while I get the note." Kaito handed the phone to an angry Aoko. Rie could feel her hostility from the phone.

"How do you even have a note from a famous thief? Isn't that kind of thing supposed to be classified?" Rie asked. Kaito's voice was muffled from being away from the phone but Rie heard him all the same.

"That's because I'm his biggest fan and he knows it! Okay, I found it! Thanks Aoko." Rie heard the sound of paper as Kaito continued, 

"A treasure that goes up but never goes down  
At quarter of the hours between   
Day and night to morrow   
Shall I bask in the glory of its shine.

\- Kaito Kid (doodle)

What do you think, Kuro-chan? Quite a poet, huh?" Kaito dramatically recited what was on Kaito Kid's note. Aoko jeered at the note and looked away from it in disgust.

"Tch! That ratty old thief is as cheesy as ever! Right, Rie-chan?" Aoko snatched the phone from Kaito's hand and waited for Rie's reply. It took a while before Rie spoke again.

"The Gem of Ages!" She exclaimed, a little too loud considering she's in a tranquil clinic.

"W-what? What's that?" Aoko asked, before Kaito took back his phone.

"Ahoooko, she means what Kid-sama is going to steal! The Gem of Ages, that's what he's going to steal tonight! Ne, Kuro-chan?" Kaito mocked Aoko for not understanding earlier. Aoko ignored him and spoke to Rie.

"How did you figure it out, Rie-chan?" 

"U-um... It was a little hard... But something that goes up but never goes down is someone's age. It's a riddle that was taught to me when I was younger. The treasure is the gem so I put them together - the Gem of Ages. It's displayed at the museum. A quarter... Hours of the day... Night to morrow... Morrow means the following day so..." Rie looked around the clinic, thinking what that part could mean. 

'I know about the Gem of Ages because I memorized all the names of jewels in nearby museums. It's part of my training...' She thought aimlessly. Then it struck her, "Ah! A quarter in hours is one-fourth of an hour! Between day and night... From one up to twelve... A quarter of that would be nine! If nine is the quarter then a quarter to midnight explains the morrow part. So nine at night! Am I right...?" She asked, gripping her phone tightly again.

"Top class solving, Kuro-chan! Took you a while but you got it right nevertheless!" Kaito held out a thumbs up, even though Rie couldn't see him.

"That's awesome, Rie-chan!" Aoko added. Just then, Fusae's medical room door opened as Fusae herself stepped out, still in full doctor attire and noticing Rie at first glance around the room. Rie was too busy on her phone to notice. 

"Sweetheart, what are you doing here? I thought you hated this place?" Her mother said, walking up to her daughter. Rie's head shot up and a smile quickly formed itself on her face.

"M-Mom! You're finally back! S-say hi to Aoko-chan and Kuro-kun!" Rie jumped up and held her phone out to her mom. 

"Aoko-chan? Kaito-kun?"

"Good evening, Fusae-san!" They cheerily said in unison.

"Thanks for keeping my daughter company while I was working. Now you know how nervous she gets when she's in hospitals." Fusae giggled while Rie puffed up her cheeks in embarrassment. 

"A-anyway, I'll see you guys later, okay? Thank you again, you two. You really saved me today!"

"See you later, Rie-chan!" Then, the call was ended.

"It's really weird how Rie can change personalities like that. Most of the times, she's stagnant, then she becomes really cheerful, then she's out-of-her-wits pissed." Kaito nervously laughed, truly relieved that Rie's back to normal.

"I told you she'll open up to us sooner or later! And you said you hated her, pssshhh." Aoko teased, standing up and walking away.

"H-hey, I never said I hated her! She just got on my nerves! She still does when she calls me by Kuro-kun..." Kaito stood up as well, following Aoko as they both went home and got ready for later's agenda.

Mother and daughter went back to their quaint home. 

"What do you want for dinner, honey? We've got leftover stew from last night, if you want." Her mother offered while opening up their refrigerator and pulling out the plastic containers. Rie sat down at the dining area and nodded.

"Mom, I may have a lead on the Pandora." Rie said, her voice slightly darker than usual. Fusae slowly put down the food and placed her hands on the counter with her back facing her daughter.

"What did you find?"

"A famous thief is out there stealing jewels. That's where we're going to later. He might be looking for it like we are."

"Dear, it's just any other petty thief. You're jumping to conclusions." She sighed. 

"But, mom! It's the only chance we have! You can't dismiss my possibility that easily!" Rie exclaimed. 

"What are you going to do, ask him what the Pandora is!? You know how risky that is, Rie!"

"I know!" Rie exhaled, "I know...! But Dad... I can't let his life work of protecting go to waste..." Fusae finally turned around to look at her daughter. Rie had her head hung low as she said those words. 

"Your father is proud of you, Rie-chan. Seeing you work so hard for him... I know he's overflowing with pride..." She walked up to her and sat across her. "But you need to think things through, okay...?" Rie nodded weakly and kept her head lowered. Her mother sighed once more. 

"I'll get your gear ready and put them in a pack, is that alright?" She offered. Rie looked up to her and nodded again, a small smile on her face. Fusae hummed and went off to fetch the Sanctuary Night's attire. Rie was left to devise a plan. 

'I should wear my daggers and small pack under my casual clothes beforehand... The restroom. I'll stash my bag there. Once the thief shows itself like Aoko-chan said, I'll quickly change and hide. It'll be close to midnight so there won't be much lights but in case there are, well, it won't be that hard to cut it off.' Rie stood up from her chair and grinned, 'Besides, the night is always better when peaceful like a sanctuary.'


	7. Chapter 7

Rie arrived at the museum a little earlier than what they agreed on. She was 15 minutes early. She walked around the place, starting from a couple of trees circling the museum, not focusing on anything else except the room where the Gem of Ages was displayed.

'If I run in fast enough, I could go to the restroom, hide my bag somewhere and be out in less than five minutes. Sounds like a plan.' With that, she took her usual stance. 'Right foot forward, left foot ready to launch.' She readjusted her backpack and glasses before launching. A huge gust of wind erupted from where she was. The police noticed this and looked out to the woods then shrugged. Rie got in undetected with the help of speed and stealth.

She found the restroom easily and hid her change of clothes behind an air vent. After securing it in there, she started jogging as she made her way back outside. This was another technique. She slowly gained speed as she closed in on the entrance, reaching full speed when she slipped through the guards again. Rie ran quietly to the end of the street to make it look like she was only arriving. She sat at a nearby bench and watched the time hit their call time. Then, she fixed her hair, readjusted her glasses and walked towards the museum.

"Rie-chaaaan! Over here!!!" Aoko waved her hand above her head frantically, trying to catch Rie's attention. The mellow scenery around her seemed to put her in a trance; she'd never seen a museum so quiet and dark, despite the police cars around. Rie's stare was interrupted by Kaito, who took her hand and pulled her towards Aoko.

"S-sorry, I got a little distracted there. Good evening, Aoko-chan, Kuro-kun."

"Your outfit is so adorable, Rie-chan!" Aoko mentioned.

'Wh-what...? I'm just... It's just a jacket over a t-shirt and some jeans...' Rie thought before looking down at herself, not really seeing what Aoko meant. While Rie was busy checking out her clothes, Aoko was grinning from ear to ear and poking Kaito who tried to ignore her.

"Th-thanks, I guess? You look really nice tonight too, Aoko-chan. You too, Kuro-kun."

"W-well what can I say, I always look good." Kaito flashed a smile at us. Aoko frowned in disgust while Rie facepalmed, shaking her head. Kaito chuckled and continued, "What are you guys waiting for! Let's go check out the museum while we wait for Kid-sama!" Kaito marched towards the museum entrance with Aoko and Rie in tow.

"Oh, um, Aoko, did you bring your phone now?" Rie asked, pulling out her phone.

"Yeah! I should really put in my number in yours now, huh?" Aoko nodded, taking Rie's phone and punching in her number. "We were really worried about you earlier, Kaito especially. I think it's because you called him 'Kaito' for the first time." Rie widened her eyes in shock.

"I did? Did I really?" She didn't notice it when she called. Aoko hummed a 'Yes~' and Rie tried to remember. Unfortunately, she couldn't. Aoko returned Rie's phone as they heard Kaito causing a commotion.

"Here you go, little girl! From Kid-sama's number one fan to another!" The girls got near just in time to see Kaito bend down and give a rose to a young girl. The little girl jumped in joy and hugged the rose, squealing with all her might.

"Oi, BaKaito, what about Rie-chan?" Aoko snickered, catching Kaito off guard. Rie nonchalantly turned to look at Aoko then to Kaito and tilted her head in question.

"What **about** me?" Rie deadpanned. Kaito jumped and scratched his cheek.

"N-nothing, it's nothing Kuro-chan." He teased, sending Aoko a glare. She simply giggled and looked around.

"Wow! It's a big place! There's very little light though."

"The only open lights are the ones on top of display cases. It emphasizes their beauty, I guess." Rie added. Aoko gave a quiet 'Ohhh' and skipped off, looking at each gem. Rie was looking around too, but mostly upwards.

'The ceilings... They're high but I suppose I can reach them when I scale the walls. Hanging on wouldn't be a problem either since I've trained in steeper-' Suddenly, Rie was grabbed by the waist and lifted up. She shrieked and tensed up. Then, she was put back down and into the culprit's arms.

"You were looking at the ceiling so weirdly that I thought I should bring you closer to it. Why so serious, Kuro-chan~?" Kaito mused and hugged her closer to him before leaning his chin on her shoulder, as if he didn't just scare Rie senseless. Rie struggled to be freed from his prison but to no avail.

"I will **cut** you, Kuro-kun." Rie menacingly threatened. Kaito laughed and pulled away, smiling like an idiot.

"Kuro-chan, you don't seem like you're having any fun at all! Lighten up! Come on, I'll show you where the Gem of Ages is!" Kaito hung an arm over Rie's shoulders and practically dragged her deeper into the exhibit. At the far end of the room, Aoko was smiling proudly at her best friends.

"There it is. Just inside those doors." Kaito pointed to a heavily guarded door. "The Gem of Ages is a blue gem with gold around it." Rie raised an eyebrow at him. Kaito shook his head no, "N-no, I didn't sneak in there! I searched it on the internet!" Rie lowered her eyebrow and went back to staring at the guards.

'Can I slip through them later? There are so many that I don't think speed and stealth are the issues here.' She wondered.

'Only a few more minutes before my performance. I really hope Kuro-chan likes my tricks!' Kaito fought hard to hold in his excitement and when he noticed the police officers were staring at them, he dragged Rie away.

"Let's meet back with Ahoko. It's almost 9pm! We can't miss Kid-sama's show!" He said, holding Rie by the hand as they weaved through countless people. Neither of them wanted to admit they were blushing. "I see Aoko over there! You go on ahead, Kuro-chan!" Kaito pushed her in front of him as he disappeared into the crowd.

Then the lights went off.

'There it is. Let's get this show started.' Even apart, Rie and Kaito thought as one. Rie sped off to the restroom while Kaito threw down a smoke bomb, getting everyone's attention. Once the smoke cleared, fan girls screamed at the sight of an all-white suited man, a top hat concealing most of his face. Kaito Kid waved and the girls went wild.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! How are you all faring tonight, hmm?" He called out, "I wouldn't be able to get the gem if the door to it is closed, now would I? Let's fix that, shall we?" With a snap of his gloved fingers, the aforementioned door burst open and dramatic fog streamed out from the room.

"Get him!!!" Ginzo Nakamori, Aoko's father, barked orders left and right.

As soon as she was ready, Rie, in her full garments - a black jacket with an upwards collar and a hood that had an extended bulletproof plastic which was for her eyes, black fingerless gloves, the combat boots she came with, thigh-high leggings and finally, black denim shorts - went back to where the gem is supposed to be. She let her hair loose as well, causing a good amount of hair to rest on the left side of her face.

Lucky for her, she arrived just after Kaito Kid opened the door. She deviously chuckled as she got inside, not noticing a certain thief near the gem's case. She put her back against the wall, easily blended with the darkness and observed Kaito Kid.

"Today was easy~" He said to no one in particular, tossing the gem between his hands.

'That's him? The famous Kaito Kid? He doesn't seem special to me.' Rie inched closer, still in the shadows. When she got near enough for him to hear her, she whispered, "Konbanwa, Kiddo-kun." Kaito jumped back, looking around but not seeing the source of the voice.

"Who are you?" He called out, moving away from the display case and thus into the shadows as well. Rie dashed next to him and pulled up her jacket collar over her mouth, effectively muffling her voice.

"Pandora." She replied, trying to be vague. Kaito turned to face her but then she was behind him.

"Wh-what? Pandora?" He called out, not sure where to look. 'How... Who is this guy? How do they know about the Pandora?'

"I know you know what I'm talking about, Kiddo-kun." She bluffed while whispering, not using her full voice to avoid identification. "Are you looking for it?"

"Looking for what? Who are you, show yourself!" Kaito was panicking, judging from the sound of his voice. Rie chuckled, finally moving a little bit out of the shadows but not enough to reveal her covered face. Kaito could only see the outline of her form as he stared intently at her. He was about to step forward when she held up a knife that reflected some light.

"Stay where you are. I'm armed but I'm not here to harm you... If you cooperate." She whispered once more. Kaito backed away with his hands held up beside his head. Despite his situation, he managed to smirk.

"What if I don't?" He said in a condescending tone. Suddenly, two knives were pointed at him, making him realize he wasn't in the position to rebel. "I don't talk to strangers." He added with a disappointed shake of his head.

"A proper introduction will be given once the stranger is labeled ally and not foe." Rie replied, "Do you work for a man with a horseshoe mustache?" Kaito's eyes widened in recognition.

'S-Snake? He knows who Snake is?' Kaito thought, the memories of his father's death by the hands of Snake flooding his mind. "I would never work with a murderer like him." Kaito hissed. In the dark, Rie reciprocated Kaito's recent reaction as her eyes widen.

"He... He killed your relative as well?" Rie asked, obviously nervous from the shivering knives. Kaito opened his mouth to reply when the doors opened.

"It's Kid! Catch him!" Ginzo shouted as police officers filed into the room. Rie and Kaito jumped as they both vacated the scene - Rie scaled the walls and out a high window while Kaito threw down a smoke bomb and ran up the stairs to the rooftop.

That was where they met again, under the moonlight.

Kaito stepped out into the rooftop and quickly held up the Gem of Ages under the shine of the moon. Unfortunately, a red jewel wasn't seen. He clicked his tongue and pocketed it, realizing it wasn't the Pandora.

"So you really **are** looking for the legendary Pandora." Rie said in low and quiet tone from behind him. This time, Kaito didn't so much as flinch. With his back facing her, he asked again.

"Who are you? I told you that I'm not fond of Snake-"

"So his name's Snake... 'Horseshoe mustache' has always been a mouthful."

"Answer me! Who are you!? How do you know about the Pandora!? Why do know Snake!? Are you working with him!?" Kaito shouted, surprising Rie.

"Call me Sanctuary Night. I'm an assassin by profession. My father used to know where the Pandora is located and was killed for it. I'd rather die than lend my skills to an organization like theirs." She finished with a soft growl.

"An assassin?" Kaito slowly turned around, getting a good look at Rie. As expected, he doesn't recognize her. He didn't even know she was a she before seeing her bangs. "My, my. I didn't know I was dealing with a lady such as yourself." He kneeled down and reached out for her hand but he wasn't fast enough.

"Your tactics won't work on me, player." Rie unsheathed her blades and distastefully glared at him under her hood. Kaito pouted from his place on the ground and his serious face came back.

"I'm assuming you want revenge for your father?" Rie gave a curt nod as he picked himself up, dusting himself off.

"Of course. But enough about me, what's **your** story, Kaito Kid?" Rie didn't really expect an answer from him. She knew he wouldn't hold up his end of the conversation. That's why she gasped when he replied.

"They were also behind my father's death. He refused to help them in the search for Pandora. I want to find it before they do and destroy it. What about you, Naito-chan? What will you do when you get your hands on it?" Kaito had his head down but Rie felt his gaze burning into her. The sensation left a spark in her heart, something close to fear. Maybe it was the nickname he quickly made for her or maybe it was his unseen stare.

"Keep it. Keep it until the Volley comet arrives and use it on myself." She whispered, still disguising her voice. Kaito gave out an audible 'hmph' for the second time that day.

"I see. One more question." Kaito held out the recently stolen gem and Rie got a good look at it. It was translucent blue with gold metal strands surrounding it. Just like what she imagined when Kaito described it to her. She didn't answer his request and quietly nodded.

"How many people have you killed for the sake of the search?" His voice was far from the gentlemanly one he usually used as Kid but Rie didn't know that. Even so, she trembled from the sound. The question hacked through Rie like an axe brought down onto her. It was a question she never wanted to answer.

"You wouldn't believe me if I said no. I may be doing this for my father, but I am not like him. I am not experienced, I have never taken the life of another. I'm a disgrace as an assassin but I refuse to kill a person in the name of revenge." She replied and looked away in shame.

The thief's glare shifted into one of pity. He felt a sudden surge of respect for this unknown girl and so, he reached out to her with his gloved hands again but instead of the intention of wooing her, he hoped to ask her for an alliance. Rie jumped away from him and pulled out a knife once more. She thought he was going to harm her.

"I cooperated with you, Naito-chan. You said you won't hurt me if I did." Kaito smirked at her. The moonlight glinted off of his monocle.

"I recall that, yes, but sadly, Kiddo-kun, I don't remember you saying the same for me." She said. Kaito shook his head and opted to a simple handshake.

"I will never harm you, Naito-chan, if you agree to be an ally. A magician and an assassin isn't a common friendship but I have a feeling I will need your help and you will need mine." Kaito offered. He tipped his hat and adjusted his eyepiece.

"You're just using me."

"It's more likely that **you** would use **me**. Afterwards, you can just kill me. I should be the anxious one." Kaito looked at her straight on with a smile and behind her protective hood, Rie blushed.

"I... I have no purpose for you. I can't do anything for you."

"Be my darkness. My shadow. Watch my back. While I wear white, you wear black. We will be in sync. I just know it. I've been wanting to lay low when sending out my notes." He insisted while chuckling. It sounded familiar but Rie couldn't place her finger on it.

"So you want me to do your chores for you." Rie deadpanned. Kaito waved his hands in defense.

"N-no! Not like that at all! I just- We have the same goal, we're looking for the same thing, I just wanted to have someone capable to be by my side. For some reason, I trust you, Naito-chan. You're not a bad person." He scratched his cheek meekly. He didn't know where the words were coming from. It flowed out of his mouth uncontrollably.

"You trust too easily, Kiddo-kun. I can kill you and no one will ever hear about the phantom thief known as Kaito Kid." Rie scoffed, flipping her bangs and looking away. Since she heard him say that he trusts her, she couldn't help but feel the same towards him. She hesitated.

"I know you trust me," Kaito said and earning an eye roll which he didn't see from Rie, "No one has ever called me Kiddo-kun. Kaito Kid or Kiddo maybe. Most of the times Kid-sama by my fans. But I don't remember anyone calling me Kiddo-kun. Maybe someone did, but they weren't important enough to be remembered. You trust me already, don't you, Naito-chan?" Out of nowhere, he pulled out a rose and held it out to her. She took it silently and twirled it between her fingers.

'This... This is going to be the worst decision I've made in my life.' She thought, pocketing the rose and looked up at Kaito.

"I... I will but under one condition." Rie held up one finger to him. Kaito cocked his head as if to ask what it is. "I help you in your chores and you protect my identity - my very existence. I know you don't need help in infiltrations or in the actual theft, but I guarantee your safety from harm as long as you don't say a word to anyone about Sanctuary Night. If you break this oath, I will take care of you myself." Rie finished as she crossed her arms over her torso.

"I'll shut up about you and we become friends, deal?" Kaito held out his hand for a handshake again. Rie stared at his gloves for a while before taking his hand into hers and shaking it. This was the seal of their agreement.

"I wouldn't say friends but it's nice having you by my side, Kiddo-kun."

It was then that Kaito Kid saw something no gem can ever outshine. A moment where his disbelief for 'love on first sight' shattered.

Rie smiled with the moonlight illuminating only the bottom half of her face. And then, a gust of wind was all that was left behind as she ran back into the restroom for her stuff and then back home, leaving behind a fully red-cheeked Kaito staring off into the distance.

'She... Smiled. Darn, I didn't even get to return it.' He sighed and flashing a contended smile of his own. 'I better not fall in love with this chick. I don't want to cheat on Rie.'


	8. Chapter 8

\-- A Few Days After, Tropical Land --

"For the nth time, I got lost in the crowd and I couldn't find you two so I went home. My phone died, by the way. I wasn't exactly enjoying the theatrics either, Kuro-kun." Rie was being questioned by none other than Kaito. She suddenly disappeared that night and they looked for her in and around the museum before giving up and going home themselves. "I'm sorry, I should've charged and immediately told you that I was at home. I'm sorry. I really am." She waved a weak, apologetic hand along with a small smile.

"Come on Kaito, you've been bugging her about that night for days." Aoko stuck out her tongue at the boy, slightly irritated at his persistence about the topic.

"I don't think she even saw Kid-sama! What a waste!" It's true, Kaito didn't see Rie in the crowd when he appeared as Kaito Kid. 

"I only came for the Gem of Ages. From what you told me, it would be really pretty. I wasn't disappointed." Rie wanted to check if it was Pandora, but Kid did that for her. "If you really want to know, I did see that thief. It was nice of him to return the gem, I never would've seen it if he didn't. That makes me wonder though. Why steal a gem only to return it? That Kid guy probably isn't in his right mind." 

"He has a sound mind, excuse you! You didn't see him at all, did you!" Kaito grabbed the collar of Rie's jacket and pulled her closer. Rie only stared at him in annoyance. 

"Gosh, I wouldn't have gotten lost if a certain idiot didn't leave me alone without even saying where he was going to go." She glared at Kaito, recalling him pushing her and ditching her in the middle of the crowd.

"I... I went to the restroom, Kuro-chan. Geez, can't I have a moment for myself without being reprimanded?" He glared back, initiating one of their staring contests.

"You two bicker like a married couple." Aoko snickered. Without breaking contact, they shouted at her.

"We do not!!!" They narrowed their eyes and soon were forehead against forehead, pushing the other away. Aoko giggled at them and noticed a familiar detective strolling around the theme park just as they were.

"Ah! Hakuba-kun!!!" Aoko waved with her hand high above her head, like she usually does when calling someone's attention. A brownish blond-haired boy turned to look at Aoko and waved back. 

'Yey, Hakuba-kun is here! Maybe he can take me around Tropical Land and actually ride some rides unlike these lovebirds.' Aoko thought before skipping off towards Hakuba Saguru, the famous detective from England. 

"Ah, Aoko-kun, what brings you to Tropical Land? Are you alone?" Hakuba bowed in respect as Aoko blushed.

"Me and a couple of friends just went out to have some fun." Aoko replied, still flustered about Hakuba's presence. Hakuba softly smiled at her as he looked around her.

"But I don't see them around you. Did they leave you alone?"

"That's them over there, the two idiots barking at each other." Aoko turned around and stared at Kaito and Rie who were still going at it. Hakuba looked past Aoko and saw an unfamiliar face.

"Who is that girl? Why is she arguing with Kuroba-kun?"

"That's a new classmate. Her name's Rie Kuro. She's friendly, just a little emotionless most of the times. She's really smart too! She and BaKaito easily spark fights." Aoko twirled on her heels to face Hakuba again and smiled. "How about we leave them to their negativity and go have some fun!" She hooked arms with him and dragged him away.

Meanwhile, Kaito and Rie's argument caught the attention of fellow park goers so they decided to leave it at a draw. It was only then when they noticed Aoko was gone.

"Wha- Where'd Ahoko go?" 

"Why, can't function properly without your girlfriend around?" Rie smirked but nevertheless looked around as well. 'Aoko should've at least texted me where she-' She took out her phone which, to her surprise, had a text from Aoko.

"I'll be with Hakuba-kun while you and your beloved Kuro-kun sort things out, Rie-chan! Ask Kaito, he'll know! See you later! ... Aoko, no!" She removed her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. "Who's Hakuba anyway..." She mumbled.

"What's up?" Kaito took her phone and saw Aoko's message. Kaito gulped as he read 'beloved Kuro-kun' but chose not to ask Rie about it. 

'Does that mean... She likes me too?' He felt his cheeks burn slightly though. To cover up his blush, he exclaimed, "She means I have to hang out with the next most obnoxious person in the world second only to Hakuba!?" Rie snatched back her phone and punched Kaito; both for calling her obnoxious and looking at her messages without permission.

"Shut up, Kuro-kun! You're not the only one who's going to suffer! Besides, who's 'Hakuba-kun' anyway? A friend of yours?" Rie had a touch of impatience in her tone as her eyebrow twitched.

"Ugh, no! I'd never be friends with someone as annoying as him! Him and Ahoko are perfect for each other!" Kaito stuck out his tongue in disgust which Rie thought was a little cute, despite remembering that Aoko does the same thing. 

"Just who is he? Why does he bother you so much? Besides the fact that he's stealing your girl." 

"Aoko isn't my girlfriend, how many times have I told you that, you idiot. She's in love with that guy. Hakuba Saguru, a detective from England. He's in our class actually but you've never met him because he's busy with all his cases. I hate him because he wants to catch Kid-sama and actually thinks he can do it!" Kaito rolled his eyes at the thought. 'Sucks to be him, I'll never be caught!' 

"A student detective? Sounds arrogant to me..." Rie has never been fond of detectives. 'They always thought high of themselves and doesn't give credit to anyone who helped them.' She grimaced at the thought.

"Oh, please. You think everyone is arrogant, what's the difference? I can't believe Ahoko put me up to hang out with you." Kaito ruffled his hair in fake frustration.

"Believe me, I might as well ride the bumper cars if I'm going to hang out with you." She crossed her arms and started to walk away. In disbelief, Kaito lightly grabbed her shoulder and made her look at him.

"Wait... You... You don't like the bumper cars either?" was all Kaito said, looking at her expectantly. She leered at him and nodded. 

"Yeah, so? Driving a vehicle freaks me out. You are not going to force me into one!" She moved away from him.

"Heck no! I hate bumper cars! Especially this theme park's bumper cars! They're decorated with those... finny things..." Kaito craned his head to look the attraction from afar. When he caught sight of the aquarium-like paintings, he yelped and hurriedly hid behind Rie. 

"What the- Kaito, pull yourself together. What's wrong with you?" She turned her head in the direction he was looking at but didn't understand what would make him freak out. "Okay, I see the bumper cars. That's it. Let's take a closer look." She stepped forward, only to be grabbed by the waist and held back.

"N-no! Don't go near it! Let's ride something else!" Kaito pressed his face against the curve of Rie's back which made her stretch out, squeal and blush darkly. 

"L-let go of me, you p-pervert!" She tried shaking him and prying his arms off.

"Only if we ride something else!" 

"You idiot, of course we're going to ride something else! I just said that I don't like bumper cars just as much as you do-" 

"Okay then, let's go!" In a matter of seconds, Kaito threw Rie into air against her will, caught her and ran off, carrying her bridal style. They - or at least Kaito - ran all the way to a ticket stand that was on the other side of the park. He sat her down on the nearest bench and panted heavily.

'What the heck was that about!? This guy is all sorts of insane!' Rie gripped the edges of her seat, the color in her face slowly coming back to her. "Kaito, what the heck were you thinking!? You scared the living daylights out of me, you lunatic!" 

"I just really wanted to get out of there, Rie! You can't blame me if the bumper cars had fish painted on them! Geez, just saying it is sending shivers up my spine!" Kaito hugged himself tightly and couldn't stop shaking.

"Fish? You? You're scared of fish?" Rie looked at him as if he killed a person. Kaito nodded and shouted, "Stop saying that word!" Rie tried to hold back a laugh but as Kaito continued jittering like a little girl, she laughed as hard as she could.

"Ahahahaha! The world's best magician is afraid of fish!? Of all things, fish!? You're pathetic, Kuro-kun! Ahaha-" Then a purr from a cat nearby was heard. Rie bit her tongue and nervously looked around. "Wh- Wh- Where is it...?" 

Kaito caught on almost immediately and saw the animal in question behind one of the nearest bushes. He smirked evilly as he picked it up and threw the cat onto Rie's lap. To say she screamed at the top of her lungs was an understatement. While she jumped up and threw the cat away with inhuman strength, Kaito sat on the ground and cackled.

It took a very flustered Rie three solid minutes to get rid of her enemy using her emergency rubber knives. Afterwards, the two sat quietly, shoulder to shoulder, while leaning on each other, tired from laughing and panicking.

"What are those rubber knives for?" Despite his heavy breathing, he managed to put out the question.

"My mom makes me bring them with me for self-defense. There's a button to switch the rubber edge with a genuinely dangerous one." Rie stopped before she could spill any more hints. "I... I never knew how to use them though..."

"Really now? You threw them like you've been doing it for a long time."

"Adrenaline rush. Change topic!"

"Okay, okay. So while I have Ichthyophobia, you have..."

"Ailurophobia."

"So we're even."

"At least mine beats yours."

"We've gone over this."

"No, we haven't."

"Yes, we have!"

"Really?" Kaito groaned and scratched his head vigorously. Rie stifled a chuckle. 'It's so easy to tease this guy!'

"Let's just ride some attractions already." He stood up and held out a hand to her. Without thinking, Rie grabbed it and stood up as well.

"Which one?" She looked around and saw a waterslide ride. "Oh! How about that!" She tugged on Kaito's shirt and made him look at it. 

"A waterslide? You mean we ride some kind of boat and drift along the water's current? That's boring!" Kaito pursed his lips at her. Rie replied with an irritated eye roll.

"Shut up. How about I pay first then you do then me again?" Rie didn't wait for an answer and went straight to the ticket booth. She bought four tickets, in case they wanted to go again later on.

'Sheesh... Why does she ask these questions if she made a decision about it already...? Such a weird girl!' Kaito chuckled as Rie came back from the booth. She proudly held up the tickets and headed off in the ride's direction, without a word. 

"H-hey, wait for me!" In the past few days, Kaito learned that Rie has a different walking pace than anyone he's ever known. She was faster. Way faster. In one of his steps, Rie makes three. 

'It's like she's always gliding on any surface. Like she's not even stepping but hovering.' Kaito ran as he tried to keep up with her. 'Unless we tell her to wait, she'll walk ahead and eventually leave us behind.' 

"Damn it, Rie! I said wait up!" Kaito shouted. Rie finally heard his plea and abruptly stopped to send him an inquisitive glance.

"Hurry up, Kaito. The line is getting shorter, see?" She pointed at the ride's line. As soon as Kaito was close to Rie, he slumped against her with all of his weight. He draped his arms over her shoulders and rested his chin on top of her head. To his surprise, Rie handled him pretty well since she didn't move an inch. Instead, she stared quietly at the ride while waiting for Kaito to catch his breath.

"I never agreed to ride this..." He complained. 

"Come on, it's not that bad. Don't worry, there aren't any fish in the water." She patted his head as he picked himself up from leaning on her. 

"I- I know that!" Kaito crossed his arms in an attempt to emphasize his point. "You always think I'm stupid, Kuro-" He realized she wasn't even beside him anymore. He found her lining up.

'Well of course she's off on her own again. I'm not even surprised anymore!' Kaito groaned as he walked up to her.

"Seriously, Rie-chan. Don't just leave without telling where you're going." Kaito nudged her, only to get an unfocused stare. "Y- You're not even listening! You're hopeless, you know that!" Suddenly, Rie held up a finger to his lips.

"First of all, I was listening." She held up another. "Second, I don't need to tell you. At least not in this situation; you should know where I am." Finally, she held up one more and gave him a smile. "Third, stop worrying about me, you idiot. I can handle myself if ever I get lost. This is a theme park, what's the worse that could happen-"

A scream pierced through the cheerful atmosphere. 

"Th- Thief!!!" A woman shrieked. They looked toward the direction she was pointing at and saw a man - at first glance, looked like your typical robber, with sunglasses and the whole getup - running away and clutching a woman's handbag.

At that split second, Rie's surroundings blurred as she debated whether to launch or to sprint after the man. On one hand, she reveals her supposedly secret running technique and catches up to the criminal while on the other, she'll be too late. Whatever she decided on went down the drain as an all-too-familiar annoyance came to save the day.

"My, my. You are a disgrace to the name of thieves!" Kaito Kid appeared in front of the man and blocked his way with his cape.

Delighted shouts erupted from fans as Kid put the thief to sleep with gas and returned the handbag to its rightful owner.

"A beautiful purse for such a beautiful woman." With that, he knelt down, took the woman's hand into his and kissed it. The dreamy sighs from girls echoed around the scene. 

'I wonder if Rie is watching this.' Kaito stood up and looked over to the waterslide's line. Fortunately for him, she was wearing her trademark poker face. He pretended to notice her only then and made his way to her, earning curious murmurs from his audience. 'Consider this a consolation for not meeting me last time, Rie-chan.' He cupped her chin and looked into her eyes.

"And what do we have here? A fine girl, if I do say so myself." He smirked. 

'He looks exactly like Kaito. Weird.' Rie merely blinked. Once. Twice. Blushed lightly. Then sighed.

"Not to be rude, Kiddo-kun, but I can't say the same about myself." Rie moved away from Kaito, making him release his grip on her. She didn't notice the shock evident in Kaito's eyes as he lowered his head and stayed quiet. 

Instead, she continued, "A classy player such as yourself wouldn't call a simple girl like me 'fine'. You need to up your game. Anyway, have you seen a guy who looks exactly like you around here?" She tore her attention from him and looked around.

'Where'd that idiot go? He couldn't have gotten far... Besides, his idol is right in front of me. He's losing his chance-' A gloved hand snapped her away from her thoughts. Kaito leaned in close to whisper into her ear.

"First of all... I'm not a player. I'm merely a gentleman. There's a difference. Second, any guy can see your beauty but judging from your reaction, only I, Kaito Kid, can appreciate it. And finally... No, I haven't seen your boyfriend." Then, a smoke bomb exploded, signaling Kid's exit. 

"That's all for today, ladies and gentlemen! Watch out for any more thieves!" He was up in the sky, flying away in his hang glider.

'Kiddo-kun... Player... Only one person has ever called me that...' Kaito shook his head in doubt. 'I copied the way she talked, I hope she noticed that. How could they be so different and similar at the same time! There's no way Rie knows who Sanctuary Night is! She can't be Sanctuary Night! She just can't be! There's no connection... It's just... Coincidence... Right?' He flew off into the forest surrounding the park and nearest to the waterslide.

'How he answered me... It was exactly like how I answered Kaito-kun before the theft... Any sane person would suspect him to be Kaito Kid. Same first names, after all. He doesn't even give effort into his looks. That hairstyle, those eyes, that smirk... It's him. Kuro-kun is definitely Kid.' Rie stepped out of the line to wait for Kaito. 'Kaito isn't even...' Rie covered her reddening cheeks and looked away, 'He's not even my boyfriend...'

"I hope she didn't go home like last time! Please! Please still be there!" Kaito mumbled as he quickly ran towards the last place they met. Kaito smiled widely as he saw the girl sitting down a bench. Rie was preoccupied with thoughts about Kid when Kaito sat down beside her.

"Th- Thank goodness you didn't go anywhere..." He panted and wiped away his sweat.

"Where were you? Kid was here a few minutes ago..." Rie muttered, almost incoherent.

"Yeah, I saw." He stumbled over what he should say and decided on, "I tried to push through the fan girls and ended up farther from you and Kid-sama! Those girls are going to pay someday. Everyone knows I'm his ultimate fan!" He jumped off his seat, pumped up a fist and continued ranting. Rie tuned him out and went back to her thoughts.

'So we know Kid is Kaito, what does that mean for me? It probably doesn't mean much to Rie but it seems a little unfair to Sanctuary Night. Technically, he hasn't confirmed anything but-'

"Oi! Listen to me for once!" Kaito pinched her ear and screamed. Rie pulled away from him and kicked him in frustration.

"Whatever you were saying, I've already heard! Kid-sama this, Kid-sama that! You're not that hard to read, Kuro-kun!" Rie glared at him, only to be knocked over the head. "H-hey! Why you-" 

Kaito hugged her. He caught her before she could wrap her hands around his neck. Her arms then hung limply over his shoulders as he picked her up from her seat. Kaito didn't say a word. Neither did Rie. Her blush grew as Kaito nuzzled his face on the crook of her neck. 

"S-Sorry. I got a little worked up there." Rie whispered. 

"Yeah, no shit, bruh." Kaito softly chuckled, tickling Rie with his breaths. Rie gave a chuckle of her own as Kaito placed her back on the bench. "Phew, now that one exciting thing after another is finally over, let's get back to ride, shall we?" He turned away from her and stretched out.

"Whatever you say, Kuro-kun." Rie stood up and held his hand quietly. This sent a shiver through Kaito's nerves as the response turned out to be a sudden rush of blood to his cheeks. Rie cleared her throat and tried to ignore the same hue on her own face as she began to walk towards the line.

The waterslide left the two soaking wet so they decided to ride the Space Shuttle next to dry themselves. Afterwards, they went off to the cafeteria.

"I feel bad for the people behind us in the shuttle. They had to deal with our water." Rie snickered as she ate another takoyaki. 

"Well now they have something memorable to talk about! They'd be like, 'Ugh, remember that time we rode the space shuttle and the couple in front of us came from the waterslide? That was horrible.' A great story, if you ask me." He bit into his Popsicle and grinned.

"We are in no way a couple, Kuro-kun." Rie playfully rolled her eyes at him and finished her snack. Kaito laughed, repeatedly nudging his elbow onto Rie's sides.

"I'm pretty sure we are, Kuro-chan! Don't be so stingy, I've seen how many times you've blushed today because of me. One hundred percent sure that you like me." He contentedly nodded to himself.

"You can't use that kind of evidence. I think it's called circumstantial evidence. If I remember correctly, you blushed redder than I did." She nonchalantly huffed. 

"Sheesh, you're always so serious! You won't ever be a guy magnet if you're like that!" He grinned as he licked off the last piece of his ice cream and continued, "Be like me; I'm funny, outgoing, smart, attractive, charming-"

"Irritating, conceited, narcissistic, mean, loud, and totally douchebag material." She smiled to herself, turned away from him and tried to distract herself from the topic. While Kaito muttered angry 'I am not!'s, she saw that a rollercoaster was the nearest ride from the cafeteria. This gave Rie an idea. Without looking at him, Rie tugged on Kaito's sleeve and pointed at the attraction.

"Oi, Kuro-kun. I want to ride a coaster. That one." She stood up and tugged harder, forcing the boy to pull himself up. He groaned and flicked away the Popsicle stick.

'A coaster, huh. It's been so long since I've-' His thoughts were cut off by a nearby ominous aura. He looked down a couple of inches at Rie who wore a devilish smile.

"Let's make a bet." She said. At these words, Kaito smiled. "Whoever gets dizzy first, loses. The loser gets to buy the winner food." She finished.

"But... That makes me worry..." Kaito gave the ground a sad pout. Rie knew he was faking it.

"Why?"

"I'm just worried about whether you even have that much money to buy me all of the food in the park." Kaito held out the tickets he bought without her permission in a taunting manner. Rie snatched it and returned his determined look.

"Let's make sure that doesn't happen then. I wouldn't want your petty pride destroyed by little old me~" She dashed behind him and pushed him towards the line. 

"Trust me, you'd be worrying about yourself when we're done, Kuro-chan." He said as they got in.

Oddly enough, Rie lost.

"Aw, is Kuro-chan all bummed out that the magnificent Kaito Kuroba beat her?" Kaito's been teasing her ever since they got off. Rie was forced to buy him cotton candy.

"I'm not. I'm pissed." She said and chomped off most of his snack. He pulled it away from her and ate the rest.

"Because I won?" Kaito asked with a mouth full of said candy. Rie gave him an icy stare, enough to pierce through any heart.

"No! I'm pissed because you cheated, you rotten cheater!" She stomped away from him, mumbling inaudible curse words. Kaito got off the initial shock and hurriedly followed with a smirk.

"H-hey! I was just worried that your glasses would fall off-"

"You knew I'd get instantly dizzy as soon as I take off my glasses!"

"It's just cotton candy, Rie. Calm down-"

"You're the one who's making it a big deal. You've been getting up on my face ever since the ride." She finally stopped walking. They've been arguing this whole time that neither of them noticed the day pass by. 

Kaito stood beside her by the railing that was overlooking the park's river. They watched the sun set in silence. 

'It's... Beautiful.' They thought. 'Maybe Aoko leaving us wasn't that bad of an idea. I have to thank her later.' Driven by the same line of thought, they pulled out their phones and glanced at each other.

"Aoko?" Kaito asked.

"Aoko." Rie grinned and nodded. After sending a thank you text, they laughed together. A little bit of silence was all they needed to cool off since they've been shouting all day. 

"Rie, look, I'm... Im sorry. I should've been-"

"Shut up, Kaito. We're both in the wrong. You shouldn't have been a stinking-" Rie caught herself before her blood rose again, "and I shouldn't have been a sore loser. I apologize, you apologize, it doesn't really matter. So shut up and forget about it." She sighed and looked over the horizon intently. Kaito stared at her, basking in her beauty thanks to the orange glow of the setting sun while waiting for more. Sadly, there wasn't any.

"I wouldn't have had it any other way." He smiled and put an arm over Rie's shoulders. She didn't object and even rested her head on his shoulder. They stayed there, side by side, quietly. 

'I can't believe I'm starting to like this guy. I'm Rie. No guy is supposed to be attractive to me. I've never felt any feelings towards a guy. Maybe that's because guys in general never took interest in me. Yeah, pretty sure that's it. I'm not exactly a head turner, unlike Aoko-chan. Why am I even thinking about this.' Rie sighed and subconsciously tightened her grip on the railing.

'Geez, I could've fallen for anyone else besides Rie. Why her!? This isn't fair! She suddenly comes into my life and now she stole my heart!? I'm the thief, not her! This isn't fair, this isn't fair, this just isn't fair. Damn it. How could I let myself do this! I'll... I'll try to not think about her. There's... There's other girls out there. ... ... ... But no girl is as attractive as she is...' Kaito grumbled and snaked his arm around Rie's waist.

As they let their thoughts of denial roam their minds, the sunset quickly shifted into night - Rie's domain. The streetlights flickered to life all around them, catching Rie's eye and giving her an idea. She pulled away from Kaito and cheekily smiled.

"Bet you another Popsicle stick if you don't get wet in the waterslide." She said, pulling out the extra tickets from earlier on. Kaito let out a deep chuckle and took one ticket.

"Who's to say you'll win this time around, Kuro." Kaito pronounced her family name in light contempt. Rie didn't miss a beat.

"I'll take you on anytime, Kuroba." She replied with the same amount of feeling and began to jog backwards, with a hyped-up Kaito in tow.

In another part of the park, Aoko got two texts at the same time.

"I guess I owe you one, Aoko-chan. I'll treat you to some food next time we hang, okay? ... It's from Rie-chan..." Aoko grabbed Hakuba's arm and made him stop. She opened the next text, "What do you know, you made the right decision this time, Aoko! I really think me and Rie are getting along perfectly! ... Kaito..." She mumbled.

"Ah, your pesky friend and his girlfriend, right?" Hakuba asked. Aoko squealed and smiled from ear to ear, pleased about herself. 

"Turns out I didn't have to worry about them killing each other!" She said, pulling a tired Hakuba along to ride some more rides.


	9. Chapter 9

\-- Weeks Later, Beika Museum --

"Kaito Kid will strike at midnight. He's after Aphrodite's Crown. The new security system is sure to capture him! Now get to your posts! We've got ten minutes before he arrives!" Ginzou Nakamori yelled at his subordinates as he shooed them away.

Rie - or rather, Sanctuary Night - has been watching them from above. Through an air vent, to be exact. Unfortunately, the room wasn't dim at all and this gave her next to no place to hide.

'It's fine. Kiddo-kun rarely needs my help anyway. I just set up some traps for the police and I'm good to go. All I'm here for is the Pandora. As soon as Kid holds it up to the moon and a jewel is seen inside, I'm going to snatch it. If not, then-'

"Kaito!!! We have to leave this room **now** or else Dad's gonna get angry at us again! Don't make me remind you that it's **also** because of you that Rie didn't want to go with us." At the mention of her name, Rie looked through the bars of the air vent and saw her best friends leaving the room.

"It wasn't my fault, Aoko! She said she can't go. Probably something at home, you know Fusae-san. Rie probably has errands up to her neck by now..." Their voices soon became inaudible.

'Well of course they're here. One is a daughter of the inspector in charge and the other is the star of the show. **What** did I expect.' Rie sighed and decided to take care of the lights while waiting for her accomplice to arrive. She ducked out of the vents and into the deserted room. She pulled her hood further down and took notice of the security cameras.

'Ahhh geez... These will be tiresome...' In the camera's view, her shadowy figure vanished. Then, one by one, the cameras lost connection. Lucky for her, there weren't any guards inside the surveillance room. As she removed herself from the wall with the cameras in her hands, the lights went out.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" A cheery and suave voice from the next room boomed. Sudden frustration directed at the phantom thief boiled up inside Rie as she threw the cameras to the ground with a crash.

With gritted teeth, she thought, 'You mean to tell me I destroyed these pieces of junk for nothing!? You perverted, little-' She held up her hands and breathed. 'It's not your fault, Sanctuary Night. Chill... Technically it is since you chose to rip them apart but that's irrelevant.'

The doors opened and revealed the thief in question. Rie instinctively stepped backward and into the shadows.

'Geez, these police officers are always so energetic! They just don't give up! I didn't even want to steal Aphrodite's Crown tonight...!' Kaito sprinted across the room and tried to lift up the display case. Lasers surrounding the case suddenly appeared and prevented him from doing anything else.

"You can't very well get that gem, now can you? They look pretty... Hot. Let me help." Rie whispered from behind him. Before he could turn around, daggers jammed the laser pointers. Rie even opened up the case for him. "You're welcome." She dashed away, just as fast as she entered.

Despite Rie's quick actions, the guards had cornered him before he could even reach out for the ruby encrusted ring. Kaito help up his hands in surrender.

"Hey, hey. We're all friends here, aren't we?" Kaito nervously chuckled and slowly put a hand inside his coat.

"Step away from the case and put your hands in the air where I can see them, Kid!" One of the guards yelled. Kaito smirked, tipped his hat in reply and brought up his cape, covering him as he picked up the ring and threw down a flash bomb. In the confusion, he broke through a window and flew away in his hang glider.

"Phew, that was intense-" A slight tremor cut him off. Something landed on top of his hang glider. He's been through this before though so he didn't feel the least bit alarmed. So was Rie, considering she's been catching a free ride with him whenever he makes an escape.

"If the police were as fast and silent as you were, I would've been caught by now, Naito-chan." Kaito swerved to the left and dropping her off on a random building. Before he could get past aforementioned building, he retracted his glider and stepped onto the roof as well.

"I never agreed to that nickname, Kiddo-kun." Police sirens were heard from afar and spotlights were filling the scene by the museum. A gentle breeze wafted around the two but Kaito's deep laugh made the atmosphere a bit tense.

"Why not? Sanctuary Night, right? Night-chan sounds perfect. You're dressed in all black, nonetheless-"

"The ring." Rie pointed at his pocket, getting down to business. Kaito huffed at her insensitivity but pulled out the ring anyway. He was about to hold it up to the moon when a thought struck him.

"Wait." He gave her a sidelong glance. She didn't move a muscle.

"What, get on with it."

"You're just going to leave when this isn't Pandora, aren't you." It was rhetorical question. One Rie always failed to recognize. He slowly put the gem back inside his coat.

"You expect me to do something else?" Rie impatiently crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm just saying that we've been doing this for a couple of weeks now. I steal then you do whatever it is you do as an assassin. Why don't we spice things up a bit?" With his matching cutesy smile, his eyes hopefully widen at her, the word excitement practically all over his face. Rie gulped and took a step back, bringing up her hands in front of her defensively.

"How about no." Kaito's expression turned sour as he scrunched his brows and pursed his lips.

"Aw, come on! You don't even know what I have planned!"

"Whatever it is you have planned, I'm sure is no good."

"It'll be fine! Can you handle disguises well?" The sudden question struck her as she fumbled for an answer.

"W-well, if I can hide my identity from you, I'm sure I can do it with the public... My voice might prove to be quite a problem though-" In a hushed voice, she stuttered. She squeaked when Kaito clapped his hands and faced the moon, a proud and eager smile on his face.

"Great! Then we can go on a date!"

"A **what**!?" Rie shouted, eyes and hands twitching in sync. She hurriedly covered her mouth and cleared her throat. Kaito just laughed at the sound of her real, surprised voice.

"Your voice isn't half-bad! Why don't you use it more often? It's really familiar-"

"That's why I don't use it! I don't want you to know who I-"

"You don't even trust the one person who knows your existence?" Kaito tilted his head forward to look at her. 'Her whispers are difficult to copy because it's rarely audible...'

"My voice is irrelevant! ... It's better if you don't know who I am. Just as important as I don't know who you are, Kaito." She glanced at him, waiting for a response. Kaito gulped and stared at the moon again.

"No fair calling me that. You don't hear me calling you 'Sanctuary'."

"R-right..." Rie sighed, another experiment with Kaitou Kid yielded no results. "Anyway, we are not going on a date."

"Why not? We can disguise ourselves. From the public and from each other." The air turned even colder around them. Wind blew Kaito's cape outwards and threatening to do the same to Rie's hood. "For every jewel I steal, we go on a date. Afterwards, we'll see if it's the Pandora or not. You know, for the sake of knowing each other better. I don't know about you but I'd rather get to know my accomplice."

You'd think Kaito put up a convincing spiel. Not convincing enough.

"I don't want to. If you don't want to show me then I'll just look for the Pandora myself." Rie turned to leave when Kaito said one last thing.

"You're so stingy. You're like the color black." Rie practically choked on the air she was breathing.

'Black... Kuro.' She thought.

"Which is appropriate since the night is associated with black." Kaito smirked as his monocle glinted.

"This... Date. There's more to it than just strolling around, is there?" Rie faced him again. Kaito shrugged and snorted.

"Geez, that took you a while to figure out! You bet there is! We are going to investigate the organization. I have a lead about Snake and what do you know, they have an-" He stopped himself short, making Rie growl in disappointment. "Do you want to go on that date now?"

She thought about it for a while. 'I don't trust this guy. I never will. But if it's about Snake and some other type of information, then I have no choice. Besides, I'll just compromise if ever he tries something.' Afterwards, she hesitantly nodded.

"Great! I'm going to disguise as this," He pulled out a picture and handed it to her, "just say my name so I'll know it's you. Let's meet at the park at around noon, okay? You know my number already so I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Naito-chan!"

Rie huffed in reply and stuffed the picture into her jacket pocket. She thought he'd already left. She thought wrong as he stepped in front of her and placed a subtle kiss on the part of her hood over her forehead.

"Bye bye." Then, the swish of his hang glider was heard as he flew away in the night breeze. Rie was left there, just as Kaito was on their first meeting, utterly speechless.

"Sheesh, that pervert knows how to toy with girls alright. God damn this..." She grumbled and hopped off the rooftop, heading back home.


	10. Chapter 10

\-- Beika Park, Noon --

Rie was wearing something she rarely wears. Something so rare, it wasn't even hers. It's her mom's. A dress with matching heels. It wasn't fancy, more like casual. Something you'd wear for picnics. She tied her hair in a side-bun, not worrying about the natural color. She wore green contacts, as well. For her voice, she deliberately ate a lot of candy the night before thus, giving herself a mild sore throat. It made her voice raspy and different from her usual as Rie.

She clutched the picture of Kaito Kuroba with eyeglasses, wearing a red, plaid polo over a black fitted shirt. On the back of the picture, Kid wrote, "I disguise as this guy most of the time. Says he's my number one fan so I thought why not."

"I can't believe he's cosplaying that idiot! I sort of expected it since they're the same person but for him to be so confident! Does he think I won't notice!?" Rie angrily whispered as she fidgeted in her spot on a branch of a tree. "He hasn't really said it directly but only an idiot would not think Kid and Kuro-kun are one."

A few blocks away, Kaito headed towards the park.

"She probably knows I'm the same person already. What I **don't** think she knows is that I know who she is too. It's pretty easy to see her resemblance to Rie-chan. Blunt, quiet, straightforward. She thinks her voice is vague when her personality says it all!" He laughed out loud and stuffed his hands in his pockets, checking if Aphrodite's Crown was still there. It was. "But heck, I'll keep the benefit of the doubt. I mean- There's still that famous detective I'm always compared with. They say I look just like him. What was his name? Kudou something. Whatever."

As he walked in the park gates, he couldn't find where Rie was or could be. 'I guess it's her who should be in the lookout for **me**. I **did** give her my picture and-' A female figure jumped down from the tree beside him, causing him to jump away from it.

"Good afternoon, Kiddo-kun." Rie smiled, something she rarely does when greeting a friend. Kaito did a quick scan of her and pushed back a blush.

"Naito-chan? Is that really you? You look stunning!" He pushed his fake eyeglasses up, failing to cover the red hue on his cheeks. He was so flustered that he didn't notice the same color on Rie's cheeks. Rie cleared her throat as a distraction.

"You don't look bad yourself. Now let's get started. I'm guessing the police HQ?"

"Police Headquarters? What are we going to do **there**?"

"B-but! You said we're going to look for clues about Snake!"

"I was lying." Kaito shrugged and playfully stuck out a tongue at her.

"You bastard!" Rie punched him on the stomach. Hard. Kaito painfully doubled over and wrapped his arms around his abdomen. He still had the power to chuckle which he did, catching Rie off guard.

"What are **you** laughing about? The fact that you wasted my time! Well, ha-ha! It's not funny-"

"Shut **up** for one second, will ya?" He clamped a hand over her mouth and leaned in close. " **We** are going to enjoy this day we have together. **We** are going to have **fun** and **play**. You have no say in this. We are going to **hang out** as colleagues and **you** are going to **like** it. Got that." Kaito forced a smile as Rie nodded in agreement, suddenly intimidated. He pushed her away and exhaled angrily.

"This is going to be my worst day ever." Rie muttered as she fixed the creases on her dress collar.

" **WHAT WAS THAT**!?"

" **Shut up!** You don't scare me, Kiddo-kun! I'm only doing this for the gem." She growled as she quickly hooked an arm around his and dragged him away from the park. A happy and equally disturbed Kaito smiled from ear to ear.

\-- A Nearby Café --

"Okay so you train every night?" Kaito ate another piece of his waffle as Rie sipped on her cup of coffee.

"Usually twenty kilometers around town. It takes me half an hour. After that, I spar with an... Acquaintance in a local dojo." She shrugged dismissively, obviously making it no big deal. Kaito has always been easily impressed so he nearly bowed in respect.

"Oh my god, that's wicked awesome! You've got to show me sometime!"

"I would but I only do it when you don't have a heist."

"I don't have a heist today! I want to see it!"

"At night, Kiddo-kun. That is when my powers are at its fullest." Rie smiled, not believing she's actually lively enough to joke around. Kaito forced air out between closed lips, making a soft 'Pfffft' sound.

"You just don't want people to see you. No way do you have powers."

"Oh, and **you** do? With your **magic** roses and **magic** card tricks? Please."

"H-hey, I can make doves appear out of nowhere. You have to give me credit for that."

"In **these** days? Who **can't** make a dove appear out of nowhere." Rie giggled while Kaito sighed, putting his chin on his palm and lightly sulking. She smiled at him pitifully and ruffled his hair. "Aww, I'm only kidding, Kiddo-kun. Your magic tricks are a little entertaining. To say the least." He brightened up again, smiling like an idiot.

"I knew you'd come through!"

"Why magic though? I get it's the whole 'thieves are creative artists' but why magic? Why not music, or theatre like costumes and stuff?"

"Magic has always been with me. Ever since I was young. I've just been surrounded with it that it sort of got into my veins, you know? It's hard to slip away from something you've grown accustomed to." Kaito nodded to himself for a great answer as he cheerfully ate another piece.

"Speaking about the past... Can you... Tell me about your dad? Um... The Kaitou Kid before you?" Rie didn't want to stir up bad memories, considering she had her own but if he wanted to get to know each other, then talking about the past was the quickest way to go.

Kaito hummed as he thought about what he'd say. Talking about it wasn't that much of an issue. It's filtering the information that's a little complicated. Even though he knew she suspected him of really being Kaito Kuroba, openly stating 'My father is Toichi Kuroba' is never a good idea.

"There isn't much to talk about. He's just like me, after all. A greater magician, maybe. The only difference between us is that he stole because he felt like it. I, for one, am stealing for a good cause."

"To stop the organization's plans."

"That's right." Kaito immediately remembered something he'd intended to say last night to her, "By the way, I found out that the organization also has an assassin in their ranks. Someone named Spider. That's all I know about him."

"It doesn't surprise me an organization like theirs has a professional assassin. Is that the thing you wanted to say last night?"

"Yup, not very helpful, still I thought you should know. I'm still not used to having an assassin following me around but since it's a pretty girl, I'm not complaining."

"Spare me your sweet talk, boy. I'm not buying any of it." She shook her head and rolled her eyes, focusing on her cup. Kaito let out an angry puff of air as he stared down at Rie.

"You never accept compliments, do you?"

"I do. Just not from you." Rie gave him a silent scoff.

"Is it because I charm every girl I pass by?"

"What do you know. It's aware." She made a face of mock surprise, getting on Kaito's nerve by each sentence.

"I only do that when I either need to attract attention or get away from it." He lightly hit his fist into the table, making the tableware rattle.

"And who's to say you're not doing it with me?"

"I'm not! I'm telling you, you're incredibly pretty and I mean it!"

"Why do you insist on complimenting me?"

"Because you need it. You're not confident about who you are, aren't you, Naito-chan?" Rie stopped mid-sip and looked at him. His face showed a mixture of curiosity and annoyance. It was hard to look at. She sighed and put down her cup.

"No, I'm not. I'm not confident about my skills as an assassin or anything else, for that matter. And frankly, I don't care. I don't care what you think; I don't care what others think; I don't care what anybody has to say, I'm going to do what I feel like doing. If it means rejecting every single one of a womanizer's words, then I will."

A quiet moment passed between them, as they avoided each other's gaze and only the peaceful ambiance of the cozy café surrounded them. Finally, Kaito took in a breath.

"It's just... Just when I finally mean to say a girl's attractive, they don't accept it. Sure, I've been repeating that many times but I rarely mean it. I don't know why I'm making it a big deal. I feel like you need to hear it, you know?" Kaito looked down in what was obvious to be disappointment. Rie's glare softened as she reached out and ruffled his messy, dark brown hair once more.

"If it's beating you up that much just to say it, then fine. I'm accepting it." Kaito's eyes instantly lit up and Rie held up a finger, "But only today. This **one** time. It's sorta mean to bully the Phantom Thief, even for me. Well... It's mean to bully anyone, for that matter." She sighed in complete defeat as he smiled to himself.

'God, this guy is a handful. Aoko's been friends with him since childhood? My respect for her went way up.' She finished her coffee with one last sip when Kaito piped up again.

"So! That's all about me; how about you, Naito-chan? What was **your** dad like?" Kaito placed his elbows on the table and leaned in on his hands, eager to hear her story. She slightly backed away while thinking about the question. After a few seconds, she cleared her throat.

"He was... He's conflicted." Rie glanced at Kaito and saw him wear an inquisitive expression. "Spontaneous, if you will. Sometimes he's justified, sometimes he's not. There are times when he becomes uncontrollably rampant and there are times when he's cool-headed. Like there was this one time, he finished his job quickly - you know, the assassinating agenda," She glanced at him again for a violent reaction, he just nodded, "and when he was about to leave, something triggered him to kill everyone else in the building."

'Note to self: never make her mad.' Kaito smiled as a sweat dropped on the side of his head. It bothered him that Rie can talk about such dark things lightly. She noticed this.

"I know, I know. I'm not giving it the gravity it deserves. But what can I say? I quote, from a very famous thief, 'I've just been surrounded with it that it sort of got into my veins, you know? It's hard to slip away from something you've grown accustomed to', end quote." She smirked at him, causing him to shake his head and roll his eyes at her.

"And I'm assuming you're the same?"

"What?"

"The same. Like your father. Are you conflicted too?"

"Heck no! I'm pretty calm and collected, mind you. I've never killed a person!"

"A person?"

"... I've... I've killed some bugs in my lifetime."

It took them a few seconds to laugh out loud and finally leaving the café after being scolded to be quiet.

"I picked our first destination. It's only right that you choose next." Rie crossed her arms and looked around. Surprisingly, the environment outside such a quiet and calm café turned out to be polar in comparison. The streets were noisy and loud.

"How about the arcade? Yup, we're going to the arcade." Kaito grabbed her arm and began walking with her in tow.

'I know where it is. You don't have to drag me, you f-'

\-- The Arcade --

"What do you mean you don't play video games!?" People turned their heads to see what a 17-year old boy was shouting about. Rie pulled him down to her height, which isn't that much of a difference, and pressed a finger to his lips.

"Shhhh! You want the whole world to know, you idiot!?" She pushed him away and looked around to make sure no one was paying them any attention anymore. Then, she sighed, "I've never tried any, okay? I'm usually booked all day, everyday. I never have time to play, even if I wanted to."

"Then try it out. It'll be fun!" He pointed at a crane machine. "This one is easy. Use the joystick to maneuver that claw to get the prizes." He handed her a coin which she reluctantly inserted into the machine.

Luckily, she got an average prize on her first try.

"See? You're a natural, Ri- Uh, Naito-chan!" He stuttered which Rie didn't seem to notice through all the noises of the other machines. She was also busy staring at her plushie.

"It's... Cute." It was a whisper yet Kaito heard her loud and clear.

"Just like you." He grinned at her as she rolled her eyes at him. Kaito simply chuckled, stuffed her plushie in her handbag and looked around for other games she might enjoy. From afar, he saw a shooting game. He immediately thought of an idea.

"Naito-chan." He put an arm over her shoulders, sending a disgusted shiver down her spine. "You good with guns?" He pointed at the game and started walking towards it, pushing Rie along.

"I guess? You know I work with daggers, Kiddo-kun." Her heels were squeaking against the floor. She didn't want to play it. She knew next to nothing about guns except for that one time Ryo tossed her one to defend herself. She was seven then.

"It'll be fun! This time, we'll be working together. Side by side, like we rarely do." He flashed a smile at her, causing her to cringe.

"Sorry, friend. Sanctuary Night works alone."

"One, we're **already** working together. Two, you called me friend! If that's not progress, I don't know what is. Three, it's just a game!" Kaito pushed her onto the gaming platform and handed her the gun. "It's simple. Just aim for the zombies and pull the trigger and do this," He shook the gun downwards which made it make a reloading sound, "to reload bullets. Can the ever mysterious master assassin Sanctuary Night, handle such a weapon?"

"Maybe not better than a pervert thief, but I can manage." His taunts did not go unnoticed as Rie held up the gun with one hand.

"The one with a lower score than the other is the loser. Loser buys the winner more coins."

"Hah. You're on, Kaitou Kid." He silently smiled as the game started to load.

\--

"Duck."

"Thanks."

\--

"Cover me."

"No."

\--

"Damn it, Night! Hand me a medical kit!"

"No! Get your own!"

\--

"I'm literally trapped!"

"So what!? Poof your way out the way that you do in heists."

\--

"I'm starting to reconsider just who is my target-"

"Here's some ammo."

"You're not getting off that easily!"

"I'm trying to be nice, that's all."

\--

"Why did you shoot me!?"

"You were going to die anyway!"

\--

"Hah! Looks who's crying now- **HOW DID YOU DO THAT.** "

"It's called skills, boy."

\--

Rie put the gun back in its holster. So did Kaito. They both sighed and tiredly stepped out and off of the platform. They didn't notice that they'd spent the whole afternoon beating all of the previous high scores. As soon as they stepped out, fan boys crowded around Rie.

"Guys, it's her!"

"Oh my god, the one who beat Lhie's score!?"

"Excuse me, our goddess, but what might your name be?" A random boy got up on her face, real close. Rie instinctively reached for her knives in her handbag.

"Um, what-" Kaito held her hand to stop her from what he assumed to be readying to attack, wrapped his other arm around her torso and turned his back on the boys, somewhat sheltering Rie.

"Her alias is Night. Stay away from her. She's mine and I don't want any of you making her uncomfortable. Forget about the bet. Come on, Naito-chan. We're leaving." Stunned from all the attention, Rie let Kaito slip his arm around her waist and take her out of the arcade. The boys followed and they were left with no other choice. They had to run.

A few blocks away, they've lost Rie's admirers. To say they were tired from the running was an understatement. Rie and Kaito found themselves back in the park.

The sun was setting in the horizon, giving the sky an orange-violet hue. There were fluffy, white clouds floating around and the moon stood right behind them, already giving off its silvery glow.

Kaito sat Rie in one of the swings while he took the one beside her. As they caught their breath, their thoughts began to wander. Unusually, the two weren't exactly same.

'Who knew Naito-chan, no, Rie, would be so fun to be with... I know, I know. I've played with her before. In Tropical Land. But... For some reason, I'm starting to think they're not the same person. But that's stupid! Of course they are! I mean... I mean... She could be copying her personality... .. No! She's the same person! Damn it, Kaito!' He ran both hands through his hair in pure frustration.

'Spending the day with Kaitou Kid wasn't all that bad... I expected it to be fun, as promised. Same Kaito, I suppose. It's hard to be sad whenever he's around. Those fans though... That was terrifying. Their eyes... All focused on me... That's not what I trained my whole life for. I was trained to be hidden. Nowhere to be seen. Damn, now everyone knows me...! As 'Night', even!' In mid-thought, she sighed and subconsciously let her bun loose. Kaito noticed her sudden hairstyle.

"That suits you." His tone was hushed, yet it still carried itself through the air and made itself audible. Rie snapped away from her thoughts and gave him a quick look.

"The only time I let my hair loose is on your heists. You don't notice because of the hood." She started swinging. Not too high, only enough to get some wind in her hair. Kaito merely watched her.

"Yeah? Then maybe you shouldn't wear that hood."

"Idiot. I'm not hiding myself from **you**. I'm hiding myself from everyone else."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not supposed to be known."

"Why?"

"Because I'm an assassin."

"There are plenty of known assassins out there. Famous, even."

"The Sanctuary Night clan is reserved. We don't like the spotlight."

"I guess I should apologize for playing that game then."

"You better."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to. I wanted to have fun. Still, I didn't consider what might happen and for that, I sincerely apologize."

"Forget about it. It doesn't matter. We lost them. I'll make sure they'll forget." Kaito scoffed in disbelief. "N-no. I'm not going to kill them. There's this spray my dad told me about. It's sort of like an anesthetic but it also has the effect of forgetting recent memories. Mom told me I should use it for when my identity is revealed."

"Your mom is an assassin too?" Rie laughed at the question.

'Mom? An assassin? Ahahaha, if there's anything she hates, it's assassins.' Rie shook her head no while smiling.

"Nowhere near it. The opposite, actually." She kept quiet and continued swinging. Kaito began to think.

'An opposite of an assassin... Someone who brings people to life? Is that even possible-'

"What about **your** mom? Is she a-"

"Yeah. She's also a thief. 'Phantom Lady', to be exact. Doubt you know her." Rie shook her head no again. "She doesn't steal stuff anymore. Ever since she met my dad, she left all the stealing to him."

Silence filled the park after that. The sun had completely set and the moon shone through the clouds.

"You know this day isn't over yet." Kaito stood up from his swing seat and held out a hand to Rie. She took it into hers and stood up as well.

"What do you mean?"

"I still want to take you out for dinner. Like an actual date. Somewhere fancy." They walked out of the park and back into the streets.

"No, I... It's okay, Kiddo-kun. You don't have to give so much effort. It's unnecessary." Rie didn't like the idea of making him go through so much trouble. 'Somewhere simple would be fine-'

"Okay, something simple then." He saw it in her surprised eyes. It wasn't that hard for him to read through her emotions since she rarely has any to express. "I've got the perfect place. Simple, cozy, warm and quiet. It'll be perfect for you, Naito-chan, I just know it."

'How does he do that...? Rather, **why** does he do that? Pretending he knows everything about me. Hmph.' Contrary to her thoughts, Rie blushed at his gesture.

"Thank you." She mumbled, looking down and letting the unlit sidewalk cover her cheeks. Kaito barely heard her so he asked to be sure.

"Did you say something?" Rie slightly jolted, not expecting him to hear. She stumbled over a reply. She debated whether to lie or to tell the truth. The former sounded unfair to her.

"Th- Thank you. Thank you, Kaitou Kid." She said a little louder. It took Kaito a nanosecond to blush.

"Wh- What can I say? I'm generous like that. Don't mention it, Naito-chan! Anything for my one and only colleague!" He slapped the back of her shoulder and grinned. This made Rie a lot less awkward. They arrived at the restaurant not too long after that.

"Here we are!" Kaito opened the door and exaggeratedly gestured to Rie. "After you, milady." Rie held back a smile and stepped through the doors, muttering a small 'Thanks' as Kaito followed her in.

He was right. The restaurant was quiet with only soft hum of classical music playing over the speakers. It was dim as well, small lanterns on each table served as a light source. The place used mostly red and black for their tables, chairs, and curtains.

While Rie admired the place, Kaito went up to the waitress and said, "Table for two, Mika-chan." Upon hearing her special nickname, 'Mika' perked up.

"Kid-sama?" She whispered. Kaito tipped an imaginary hat towards her. It seemed she knew right away as she blushed. "Y-yes, a table for two. Of course, Kid-sama. Right this way." The waitress stepped off her podium of sorts and went ahead to a table. Kaito held out his hand which Rie took, and followed the waitress.

"They know you here?"

" **She** does. Only her. I'm a regular."

"So you've brought girls here before."

"No, I come by myself." He sat her down and took his own place across her. It was a small table, perfect for two customers. It was secluded as well, as expected when dealing with someone as famous as Kaito Kid. Before Mika could leave, he gestured for her to come closer to him. He wanted to whisper something.

"We'll take my usual but take it up a notch. I really want to impress my girl." He covered his mouth while whispering to her. A quick and somewhat gloomy nod was her reply as she walked away writing his order.

"What... What was that about?" Rie was worried. She didn't hear what he might've said. It could be a devilish plan to kill her for all she knew.

"Just our meal. I ordered for the both of us. You'll love it, I promise." Kaito softly smiled at her, making her turn her gaze somewhere else before her heart could explode from beating too fast.

"Mika, right? She's really pretty." She looked at Mika curiously as she went into what Rie assumed to be the kitchen. Kaito's smile quickly turned into a frown as he noticed that she was avoiding him. It truly bothered him.

"Every girl in this world is pretty."

"I guess?"

"You're doubting yourself again, aren't you."

"Stop acting like you know everything."

"Well stop assuming you're not worth everything."

"I'm not."

"You're not assuming or you're not worth everything?"

"Both." Rie glared at him. He simply raised his hand in surrender and chuckled.

"Okay, okay. You're such a bad liar." He laughed, making Rie even angrier.

"That's right and **you're** the biggest liar in the universe." Her voice dripped with irritation.

"Don't be such a sourpuss, Naito-chan."

"So you're not denying it." Rie grew more and more irritated and thankfully, their food arrived to cut their dispute short. Kaito let the argument slide while they ate in silence.

The food was delicious - more than that, heavenly, in Rie's opinion. She didn't want to admit it to Kaito though, it would only boost his already overblown ego. Kaito, on the other hand, didn't enjoy his meal. Not because there was something wrong with his food, it's the fact that Rie felt bad about him. It wasn't that hard to feel the aura from her. She was assassin after all, he thought. Their whole dinner was somewhat ruined by such a trivial matter.

To Rie, it was a big deal that she was actually jealous.

She was about to apologize when Kaito's phone went off.

"I'll just get this... Stay right here, Naito-chan. I'll be right back, I swear." Rie could only nod as he rushed out, accepting the call and putting his phone upon his ear. "What do you want, Akako? I'm busy."

Akako Koizumi. She had long, black hair with perfectly straight bangs across her forehead. She always wore a red headband with it. She was a witch who can attract any man. Every guy who ever laid his eyes on her instantly fell in love with her. Except for one. Aoko, Rie, and Hakuba's classmate, Kaito Kuroba. This made her develop an interest in him in return. She was one of the few people who knew Kaito's identity as Kid and everything along with it, such as his search for the Pandora. He never told her. She was a witch after all. Something like finding out whether he had another identity was easy. Here she was, suddenly calling him.

"Busy? With what? Is that how you greet your girlfriend after she went through so much trouble getting leads on the Pandora for you and even skipping school?" Her sly voice sent disgusted shivers down Kaito's spine.

"We're not dating, Akako. We never will. I told you that. I also never told you to trouble about the Pandora. It's **my** job. Don't blame me for whatever you chose to do." He hissed.

"You're incredibly grumpy tonight! What happened, darling?"

"Are you going to tell me about Pandora or not?" He heard her sigh heavily.

"Fine. But I can't say it over the phone. I'm pretty sure it's been tapped. I'll see you in the usual place in ten." Then, she ended the call. It was his turn to sigh as he took off his fake eyeglasses and rubbed his temple. He stepped back into the restaurant while thinking of what to say to Rie.

"Who called?" Rie was worried the whole time he was gone. Maybe he finally decided to kill her. 'Maybe he already has professional killers outside this very-'

"We're going to get information about the thing tonight." Kaito tried to be calm about it but thinking about him getting closer and closer to Pandora made him thrilled.

"How? Where?" Seeing him jittery gave her a sick feeling inside. Something wasn't right. Kaito paid for the meal and took her hand, gently leading her out.

"I have a friend; she's going to tell us a lead on Pandora. We're going to meet by the base of the nearby mountain. There's a shrine there. We need to hurry." He made a step to proceed but Rie refused to go.

"No, Kiddo-kun. I don't like this. Something is telling me that there's something wrong. Maybe we shouldn't go-"

"It's the Pandora, Naito-chan! Why shouldn't we!? Why shouldn't **you**!? I thought you **wanted** to find it!"

"I **do** but I'm just telling you that we should be-"

"I'm not hearing any of this! If you don't want to come, then fine! I'm going alone!" He suddenly threw down a smoke bomb and as the pink smoke faded, Rie found him in the air in his full Kid costume, gliding through the winds in the direction of the shrine.

"... Alert. I was going to say we should be alert." Anger bubbled up inside of her as she stomped around and pulled out her gear from her handbag. " **Stupid** Kaito! Doesn't even let me finish my freaking sentence! Thinks he's all superior and shit! If he gets himself hurt, I am so not hesitating to laugh at his stupid, rotten face! I **was** gonna come voluntarily but now I just want to see that piece of crap squirm as he asks for my help! I hate him! I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!!" By the time she ended her rant, she completely changed into her own heist outfit. Then, after taking her stance, she followed him.

\-- The Shrine --

Kaito landed in front of the shrine, seeing Akako not too far inside. Before he could take a step up the stairs, he felt demonic eyes glaring at him from among the trees. He rolled his eyes in irritation as he figured it could only be Rie.

At that time, he was only pretending to be mad. While flying away, he realized that he was inconsiderate in their argument and he wanted to apologize right away but his pride prevented him. Instead, he made his way up to the shrine and called out to Akako. She turned around and cheekily smiled at him to which he leered at her in reply.

"Nah ah ah~ Do you want the Pandora or not?" She held a gem up high. From Rie's standpoint, she couldn't see much besides a gem with a greenish shade. To Kaito, he saw everything. Even the thin shred of red moonlight in the middle of it.

"Are you... Serious?" It was the only thing he could say. He was dumbstruck as he slowly walked towards her. Akako only stared at him with the smuggest smile a person could ever wear. Unlike Kaito who was practically hypnotized by the sight before him, Rie heard guns quietly being loaded around her. She silently moved away and saw that they weren't aimed at her but at Kaito. The guns were aimed at an unsuspecting Kaito.

Her heart began to thump loudly against her chest, panic starting to envelop her thoughts. If she ran out, she'd be known to exist. If she doesn't, Kaito will get hurt. Get killed even. Her vision started to fail her as time pressured her to make a decision. For some reason, she chose to do neither.

Rather, she knocked out each gunner by pinching their nerves. She did it with trembling fingers but silently, nonetheless. Akako seemed to notice something wrong and snapped her head in Rie's direction which made Rie frantically back deeper into the woods. Akako clicked her tongue and threw down the gem, effectively shattering it.

"Why the hell did do you that, Akako!?" Kaito shouted, kneeling down and carefully scooped up the fragments. The fragments quickly turned into dust. Akako took her chance to arm herself as Kaito realized. "This... This is fake... It was fake all along, wasn't it?!" Just after he finished his sentence, he felt a gun against his head. Right on top of the brim of his top hat. He slowly stood up and the gun followed, soon landing square on his forehead.

"What are you doing, Akako." He whispered. Akako had her face twisted from rage.

"I don't remember telling you to bring a friend." She spat out, earning a quiet gasp from Rie. Kaito froze in his spot, eyes widening in fear for Rie.

"C- Calm down, you can trust my friend. We have the same goal-"

"Shut up, Kid! And you! I know you're there! Quit hiding, you coward!" Akako wouldn't have been able to know she was there. Akako's men weren't even awake yet. Rie was panicking more than before. She didn't know what she did wrong. She didn't know about Akako's powers yet. Reluctantly, Rie stepped out into the open yard with her hood up and head lowered.

"Who are you?" Akako seethed in anger. Rie refused to speak and so Kaito backed her up.

"Her name is-" A dagger sliced through the air and knocked Akako's gun off of her hand. Within seconds, Rie slid past them, picked up the gun, pinned Akako down without breaking a sweat and held the gun onto her head.

"I don't share my name with foes." Rie whispered into her ear. Afterwards, she backflipped away and passed the gun to Kaito, standing behind him in wait. As Akako picked herself up, Kaito fiercely glared at her.

"I trusted you, Akako. Why... Why would you do this...? You're better than this!"

"I didn't want to. Fate told me to do it. I never expected any of this. I never thought I had to point a gun at you only to find out you took in a filthy rat-"

"She's a person."

"For an accomplice. A girl, even." She glared at Rie for a second and returned to Kaito. "My role stops here. I don't ever want to deal with guns again. I'll leave you to my men." She sauntered past a furious Kaito and a deadly Rie as the previously unconscious gunners moved out of the forest and surrounded them in a circle.

Rie turned around and leaned her back against Kaito's who decided to do the same. Back to back, they sized up their enemies.

"There's five over here."

"Same here. This feels oddly familiar."

"Like a game we played?"

"Yeah but... Please don't kill them, Naito-chan."

"Aw, poo. Seriously?"

"Look, I know you're mad at me. I-"

"Shut up, Kid. I hate you. We've established that the first time we met."

"I thought you-"

"Yeah, yeah. I don't care about what you have say. We go in three?"

"One."

"Two."

They didn't even hear each other anymore as guns blasted around them. They jumped at the same time, high enough to dodge any and all bullets. Some hit the gunner opposite of them since they were in a circle, making them fall to the ground in pain.

As they landed back down, nearly half of the enemy party was down. For the rest, they chose to get in close.

Rie dashed to the right and fought dagger against gun while Kaito pulled out his card shooter and dealt deep card cuts.

Kaito fought elegantly using his magic to his advantage. He vanished and reappeared behind the assailants before knocking them out with a taser to the neck. Kaito smirked as he did it consecutively, not giving them a chance to retaliate. One caught him by surprise though. As Kaito turned to look, the guy punched him right on the face. As a drop of blood dripped down from his nose, he chuckled darkly and wiped it off.

"Great... Now my pristine white glove is tainted..." The last thing the guy saw was the shine on Kaito's monocle before getting bombarded with razor sharp playing cards.

Rie's fight went long enough for her enemy to drop his gun and run. It's been years since she had a target who ran away from her and it made her giddy inside. She had a killer smile as she threw a knife at the guy before he could run down the stairs, wedging it right under his shoulder blade and causing him to lose his balance and fall down the stairs. She giggled evilly as she easily retrieved her dagger by pulling on a sturdy wire connected to it and ran back to Kaito who growled at her.

"Hey, I didn't kill him! He fell on his own!" She laughed out loud. Before another bullet could reach her, Kaito grabbed her by the waist and jumped aside, shooting a playing card at the enemy. The two fell harshly to the ground but thanks to Kaito, Rie wasn't as much as scratched. She helped him up and pushed him back down as she swung her foot in a back kick, nailing the last one on the stomach.

Once again, Rie held out a hand to Kaito, a couple of bruises on her cheeks becoming visible from getting bashed in the face with the butt of a gun multiple times. Even through the internal bleeding, Rie managed to smile. Sincerely this time around, as the ecstasy from getting into a fight fading away from her system. Kaito hesitantly took her hand and pulled himself up, brushing off dust from his clothes.

Before Rie could object, Kaito looped his arms under her knees and around her shoulders and took off on his glider with Rie being carried in bridal style. The flight was quiet and eerie. Rie didn't like it.

"So... Akako?"

"She's... She's a witch."

"Huh. Why am I not surprised. Do you have a werewolf in your clique too?" She mocked. 'Witch powers... Maybe that's how she knew where I was...'

"Shut up. ... I wish I did though. But that's besides the point! I can't believe she... I never thought she'd trick me and even threatened to shoot me..." They were back at the park for the third time since it was where they started their day. Kaito painfully looked at Rie, seeing her bruised face as guilt filled up his mind. To Rie, bleeding like that wasn't that much of a concern. What she **was** concerned about was the girl who called her a coward.

"What kind of witch is she?"

"She has this thing wherein she can sexually attract any man? I think it's like that. She can also see into the future. That's probably what she meant with fate making her do this. It's just..." He hung his head low, not having the strength to even look at Rie anymore. He didn't want to see how much she got hurt because of him.

"The Pandora, right?"

"Yeah. I really thought it was real... There was a jewel inside it, Night. It was red. It was small but it was there."

"That tells us one thing." Finally, he looked at her. Rie was looking up at the moon and slowly held up Aphrodite's Crown under its shine. At the sight of the jewel, Kaito dug his hands into his pockets and confirmed it wasn't with him anymore.

"When did you..." Rie laughed as she inspected the gem.

"Thievery is a part of an assassin's job. It's one of the things I learned first as a little girl." After getting the perfect angle, she sighed and gave it back to him. "It's not it."

"W-Wait. What did you mean when you said 'it tells us one thing'?"

"The fact that there was a fake Pandora. It means someone is making counterfeits. I can only assume someone is making you lose track of where the real one might be."

After that, silence once again. Kaito didn't dare to strike up a casual conversation. Not after what he did to her.

"You got hurt... How can you be so calm after all that's happened?" Rie slightly widened her eyes at him in question.

"It's an assassin thing, I guess? I've been through worse. And I'm talking about these," She tapped her cheeks, "and about the actual confrontation. Don't worry about it. I'll have my face fixed up first thing in the morning." She felt a sweat drop as she thought about how much her mom was going to lecture her while she tended to her daughter's bruises.

"I'm sorry for Akako. You're not a coward. You even sacrificed your very existence just to help me. That's anything **but** cowardly." He stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders, still not looking at her. "I know you told me so. I should've listened. You were right, something was wrong and I was too excited to find out that I abandoned you. I understand why you don't trust anyone."

Suddenly, his top hat was taken from him. He jolted and instantly looked around as to where it was. He found it somewhere he never thought it would be.

"No wonder you like this hat. It's comfy as heck." Rie took it off from her head and placed it back on his, tilting it the wrong way on purpose. "That's where it belongs. On a magician's stupid head. You never think things through. You're always so reckless. But hey, you do you, and I'll do me. Unfortunately, it's who we are. As much as I hate you and your utter obnoxiousness, I wouldn't have the Phantom Thief any other way." Rie put her hood back up.

"Today was great. Thanks, Kiddo-kun. Until your next heist, I guess? We need to be more careful about which gem we should look into next. I'm sure your dad has some research on it? Something that no counterfeit can copy. Good night." She jogged away and left a waving Kaito behind.

It's a thing for them now. Neither of them can afford to show the other where they live so they just leave each other behind like that.

"You moron. **I** should be the one thanking **you**. You practically saved my life." He fixed his hat and pulled his phone. He dialed a number as looked at the night sky. "Jii? Yeah, it's me. I need you to pull out Dad's notes about the thing. We have a problem."

 

Quick Bonus Scene:

\- Kuro Household --

" **Where did you get this from this time!?** "

"... The butt of a gun..."

" **You fought with men using guns!?** "

"It's not like I was shot, Mom!"

"With all the bruises you have, you might as well have been!"

"Mooooooooom...."

"Don't 'Mooooooooom' me, young lady! You even gave yourself a sore throat!"

"I had to disguise my voice somehow!"

"You're hereby banned from candies! I'm confiscating your knives too!"

"But Mom! I can't fight without those! The candies I can live without, but a girl needs her knives!"

"Shut up and let me get some ointment those swollen cheeks! Don't make me take you down to the clinic!"


	11. Chapter 11

\-- A Few Days Later, Class 2-B --

"Ne, Rie-chan! You've been gloomy all day, what's wrong?" Aoko spun around on her seat to face Rie.

"Let's just say... I'm not allowed to do something I really want to do." Rie sulked as she remembered her mom taking away her precious weapons.

"Awww," Aoko patted Rie's head sympathetically as the poor assassin continued sulking, " Ah! I know! How about you come to my place tonight? You can spend the weekend too! It'll be girl's night, just the two of us!" She smiled brightly which lifted up Rie's spirits even just a little bit. Kaito's ears perked up as he heard his best friends make plans for tonight.

"I guess... I guess that's a good idea. I need to go home first and pick up some clothes, you know, stuff." Rie gave a smile of her own, feeling better.

"Oi, oi! You guys can't do that tonight! Kid-sama's doing a heist!" Kaito was sure he sent out a notice through Sanctuary Night. Rie quietly gave it to the police as soon as possible and the news erupted in excitement. 'You mean Naito-chan won't be with me tonight? But-!'

"Your precious 'Kid-sama' can do a heist without us!" Aoko humphed at Kaito while Rie nodded.

"You guys promised to always go to his heists with me!" He pleaded. Aoko firmly shook her head. Kaito turned to Rie.

"Please, Kuro-chan?"

"I don't know, Kuro-kun. A relaxing and stress-free night might just be what I need... Kid's shows are too lively for me." Rie didn't want to argue with him, despite always actually being in each and every one of his heists. Besides, without her daggers, she was useless to him anyway. Kaito was taken aback by their 'insensitivity'.

"W- Well if you're not coming to **my** thing, I'm going to **yours**!" He declared.

"That's not fair, BaKaito! You're just going to ruin the fun!" Aoko stood up from her seat and shouted at Kaito, her hands balling themselves into fists by her sides.

"Puh-lease. There won't even **be** any sort of fun without **me** around!" Kaito did the same but instead of clenching fists, he crossed arms across his torso and looked down at her. Rie let out a distressed moan which made the two calm down.

"See! You're already made things worse, you dummy."

"Hey, you were shouting too, you know!"

"Shut **up** , Kaito." Rie slouched and held her head between her hands. Aoko stuck out a tongue at Kaito who rolled his eyes.

Then, Hakuba Saguru entered the room.

"Hakuba-kun!" Aoko called him over. Hakuba gave the three a curious glance followed by a flirty grin. While Aoko giggled, Rie and Kaito simultaneously shivered in disgust.

"Greetings, Aoko-kun," He nodded at Aoko then turned to Rie, completely ignoring Kaito. "A proper introduction has never occurred between us, has it? I go by Hakuba Saguru. And you are?" He smiled lightly at Rie, making her frown even more.

"Rie Kuro." It was all she wanted to say so she quickly looked away from him, which made her look at what was unfortunately another annoyance - Kaito. Upon seeing Rie's dislike towards Hakuba, Aoko backed her up.

"Pardon Rie's personality, Hakuba-kun. She's never the easiest to talk to when she already has a bad impression on you." Aoko chuckled nervously and patted Rie's head. "Blame BaKaito over there. He probably said all sorts of mean things about you."

"What else is there to say? All I said was he targets Kid-sama. ... And that he's a jerk for doing so." Kaito held up his arms before Aoko could punch him.

"BaKaito!!! That's really mean!"

"Now, now, Aoko-kun. Kuroba-kun can say whatever he wants about me. Rie-san, I hope I can somehow outlive your thinking of me." He held out his hand for her to shake which she did after greatly hesitating.

"Don't expect it to happen anytime soon, Haku-san." Kaito and Hakuba slightly widened their eyes at Rie's sudden nickname. Once again, Aoko spoke in Rie's perspective.

"Rie-chan has a strict two syllable nickname, excluding the honorific. I hope you don't mind, Hakuba-kun." Hakuba simply shrugged. Then, the unexpected happened.

"Why are you so persistent in capturing that stupid and annoying thief?"

Rie looked at Hakuba expectantly. For a second, Hakuba seemed to sense a different kind of hostility from Rie. Something beyond her dislike towards him. In that same moment, Kaito let out a small grunt of protest.

'Who you calling stupid and annoying, you stupid and annoying assassin.' Regardless, Kaito paid discreet attention to them, wanting to know Hakuba's answer to her question as well.

"He proves as a challenge. Back in London, there weren't criminals as challenging as him. It'll be a monumental accomplishment to be the one to put him behind bars."

"You'll never be able to catch him if that's your resolve."

Everything instantly became silent. Not because of Hakuba's answer. Not because a dinosaur came out of nowhere. One after another, unexpected events were happening. This time, it was the event of Rie and Kaito saying the same complete sentence at the same exact time.

The four of them - Aoko, Hakuba, Kaito, and Rie - stared at each other in a mixture surprise, awe, and confusion. While Rie and Kaito came to an unspoken truce, Hakuba held up his hands and shook his head, trying to wrap his head around what just happened.

"I can fathom why Kuroba-kun wants to protect himself-"

"I'm not Kaitou Kid!"

"But why are **you** defending him, Rie-san?" The three simultaneously looked at Rie who didn't really think about what she'd answer.

"He's aimless. He just steals for the thrill. The gem itself is just a bonus. That's probably why he sometimes returns the gems. I think you're too serious to be able to capture a hooligan like him." While replying, Rie shrugged as she took out her notebook to prepare for class. She knew full well why Kaito does what he does, but she didn't want to say that as it is.

"You seem to know a lot about him. Do you know him personally?" Hakuba glanced at Kaito so quickly that they didn't even notice.

"Not really. He's just easy to read. The closest link I have to him is that magician." Rie cocked her head towards Kaito's direction. After that, the teacher came in and class finally started.

A school day was a school day, after all. Nothing else happened. On to dismissal.


	12. Chapter 12

\-- End of Class, Class 2-B --

It wasn't as obvious as Rie was, but Kaito was bothered by Akako. The night of the incident, he didn't get a minute of sleep because he was browsing through his dad's files about a possible fake Pandora. His search bore no results. He had to deal with this problem on his own, without a single lead. Kaito let his guard down for a second as Hakuba decided to strike up a conversation.

"Kuroba-kun, can I talk to you for a second?" Hakuba sat down on the desk in front of Kaito's.

"What do you want, Hakuba. I have a small gathering to trash." Kaito grabbed his bag and stood from his seat. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he quickly stole a glance from Rie.

"You're going to postpone your heist, right?" Hakuba asked with a smirk. Kaito sighed as he realized it himself. He **did** plan out a heist due that night, but now he can't go on with it. He can't say that to Hakuba though. The last thing he needs now is for Hakuba to confirm his accusations against him.

"I don't understand what that's supposed to mean. You're spouting nonsense again, I'm leaving." Kaito snorted and made his way out of the room.

"Don't worry, I'll tell the police for you!" Hakuba called out.

"Are you ready for tonight, Rie-chan?" Aoko pulled Rie out of their classroom by her arm. Rie lightly smiled and nodded. "The two of us are going to have so much fun-"

"Oi Ahoko. I'm coming with, remember?" Kaito said matter-of-factly as he followed them out of the school. Aoko angrily faced him and stopped him on his tracks.

"No! We never agreed to letting you come, Kaito!"

"Hey, hey. I'm not staying overnight. Just long enough before you two go to sleep. Besides, I don't hear Kuro-chan complaining." Kaito sent a smirk towards Rie who was spacing out, thinking about the incident with Akako. Aoko snapped her fingers in front of Rie, causing her to focus.

"See, this is what I'm talking about! She's been disoriented lately! That's why we need some quiet time, right, Rie-chan?"

"And Kaito can come with us for dinner, right, Rie-chan?" Kaito's voice became just like Aoko's, one of his many talents as a magician and phantom thief.

It's true. Rie has been distracted recently. She was worried to no end about appearing before someone who wasn't Kid. Someone who wasn't Kaito. Someone she didn't trust. It bugged her constantly, not letting her focus on anything. It was too late to use the spray on Akako, Rie didn't even know where to find her. But she can't talk about it to Aoko; it might endanger and ruin Rie's image of an innocent friend for her. She couldn't speak about it to anyone so her worries were all bottled up.

"Whatever... I don't care if that pervert comes or not." In the background, Rie heard Aoko sigh while Kaito laughed in victory.

"Are you sure, Rie-chan? He's not bothering you too much, is he?" Aoko placed a hand on Rie's shoulder out of concern. Rie grinned for a second and sighed again.

"No, I'm fine. I've been with you guys for at least three months now, I'm used to Kuro-kun's antics." Rie shrugged as she shook her head. Aoko glared at Kaito for being a complete jerk.

"It's settled then! I'm staying overnight with you guys! Awesome!" Kaito pumped a fist as he wrapped an arm around Rie's shoulders and leaned on her, a wide, goofy grin on his face. Rie sighed in defeat while Aoko shook her head.

Soon enough, they arrived at Rie's house to get some essentials.

Rie opened the door to her apartment and immediately called out, "I'm home, Mom!" She ushered Aoko and Kaito in, giving them their respective slippers. Fusae poked her head into the hallway and waved a knife in reply.

"Welcome back, sweetheart!" Rie went over to her mom and hugged her tightly. Afterwards, Rie went into her room without another word. Fusae's gaze followed where Rie went and when she was out of sight, only then did she notice that her daughter's best friends were at their doorstep.

"Ah! Aoko, Kaito! Here to stay for dinner? Come in, come in! Make yourselves at home as per usual." Fusae waved her knife at the all-too-familiar living room the duo knew very well.

"Sorry for intruding, Fusae-san." Aoko lead the way and plopped herself down on the sofa. Kaito sat down on Rie's beanbag and mumbled sweet nothings to himself as he sunk into it. "Rie-chan is going to spend the weekend with us in my place. I'm not sure she texted?" Aoko sat up straight and looked at Fusae. From the kitchen, she called out as an answer.

"Yup! You don't know how much I forced her to at least have dinner here before she went. I'm glad she brought you guys with her!" She laughed as she cooked.

"Still feeling lonely, Fusae-san?" Kaito groggily asked while trying to get into an even more comfortable position. She heaved a sigh and nodded.

"I'm sure Rie feels the same way. The three of us were always very close..." Her voice trailed off as she tried focus on cooking. Kaito and Aoko exchanged concerned looks as they picked themselves up from their seats and headed towards the kitchen. Rie's mom hung her head low as she slowly chopped vegetables.

"Fusae-san..."

"I know you two are worried, don't be. It... It just took a huge toll on me and Rie. You can't see it from Rie, but she misses her dad. I'm sad for the both of us so she insists to stay stone-hearted. Ryo... Rie's father... Was a great man. It's hard to find a man like him, considering he's an-" Fusae realized she completely stopped chopping and was just staring at the cutting board in front of her.

'An assassin. Of all occupations... He was an assassin.' She shook away the thought as Aoko spoke.

"He was... What, Fusae-san?" Aoko slowly went closer to Rie's mother, followed by Kaito.

"O-oh. Um... He was quite a powerful man in the business community." She nervously chuckled as she continued, "Most of high-ranking businessmen these days are prideful, but he... He was the most humble of them."

"Rie's dad sounds pretty cool. Does her straightforwardness come from him?" Kaito was looking around the kitchen, absentmindedly letting words leave his curious yet sarcastic tongue.

"You idiot! How mean!" Aoko elbowed Kaito for asking such a rude question. Kaito let out an 'oomph!' followed by a groan as Fusae laughed.

"Relax, Aoko-chan, it's true that my Rie can be a little too blunt sometimes. Believe it or not, that one comes from me." She heard Aoko gasp while Kaito snorted as if to say 'I knew it.'

"R-really? Then Rie's dad..." Aoko thought that Rie got that trait from her dad as well. So if it wasn't from him, then what trait **does** come from him. Fusae finally turned around and faced them with a smile.

"Hmm... Let's see," She looked around, thinking about it, "She got his slight immorality." The atmosphere turned grim. Even Kaito stopped browsing through the fridge to listen.

"Im... Immorality?" Aoko squeaked, a tinge of fear in her voice. Fusae looked at her and smiled.

"Don't worry, dear. I'm sure that trait won't be shown around you two. You guys are her best friends." She glanced at Kaito and immediately added, "Although... One of you might've already seen it..." Aoko narrowed her eyes at Kaito.

"Wh- What? Me?" He widened his eyes at Fusae's implication. 'Does she suspect I'm Kid too? Damn it, Rie!'

"O-of course I've seen it..! You see it too, Aoko! Everyday! It's just not directed to you! Remember that time she didn't help me when I got a nosebleed?"

"That's because you sneaked into the girl's locker room to peep in on us!"

"But **you** helped me! Why didn't **she**?"

" **SHE MIGHTVE CUT YOU IF I DIDNT DRAG YOU OUT. YOU KNOW SHE HAS A THING WITH SHARP OBJECTS.** " The two started shouting at each other again, Kaito defending himself while Aoko told him off. Fusae giggled and turned her back on them again, continuing to cook.

'What a lively couple...'

Just then, Rie came back with her bag full of clothes and other necessities.

"Is dinner ready, Mom?" She called out from the living room, "Hey, where's-" She looked into the kitchen and found Aoko and Kaito casually standing around. "... Never mind. What are you guys doing there?" She put her bag down and leaned against the doorframe with her trademark nonchalant look.

"They're helping me cook, sweetie. If Kaito hadn't pointed it out again, I would've cooked fish!" She laughed the special way mothers always did as Kaito blushed in embarrassment from behind her.

"Fusae-saaaaaan..." He groaned in protest while Aoko and Rie started to giggle.

"Dinner will be ready in a few. Rie, set the table, please." Rie nodded quietly yet obediently towards her mother and walked towards the cupboards.

"You guys sit yourselves down. You've been coming every so often that you have your own seats." Rie smiled softly to herself, knowing they can't see it. She underestimated Kaito though. Of course he saw it. He loved it when she smiled secretly like that.

They didn't do what Rie told them. Instead, they helped to set the table. With the three of them doing it, it barely took them a minute. Just as they sat down, Fusae came out of the kitchen with their dinner. She set the dish at the middle of the table.

"Thank you for the food!!!"


	13. Chapter 13

\-- One Uneventful Dinner Later --

"I'll be back by Sunday night, Mom. Why don't you treat yourself to somewhere nice over the weekend? There's lots of hotels around, maybe you should-"

"Geez sweetheart. I should be the one who blabbers on and on before you leave, shouldn't I? Besides, I'm pretty sure you simply want me out of the clinic for once. Just enjoy your weekend with your friends! Stop worrying, will you?" Fusae grabbed hold of Rie's shoulders, turned her around and pushed her out of their apartment door, where Aoko and Kaito were waiting. "See you on Sunday, dear!" Then, she slammed the door shut.

If sweat drops were as comical in real life as they were in anime, a huge one would be sliding down Rie's cheek. She stood there glaring at the door with an eyebrow twitching. Aoko reached out and patted her back.

"Come on, Rie-chan. Fusae-san will be fine, let's go." She started to go down the stairs, lightly pulling her along. Rie sighed deeply as they got out of the apartment building and hauled a cab. Kaito tried to snake his arm around her waist but regrettably for him, Rie dodged on instinct. She didn't even notice what just happened or what he tried to do.

'Why did I just **have** to fall in love with a professional assassin... This sucks.' He cursed himself as they piled into the cab, with Aoko in front (since she had to point out the way to her house) while Rie and Kaito in the back seats.

"I just wanted her to relax just as much as I will be... It's just not fair... She's always so stressed." Rie gripped her bag tighter, guilt flooding her thoughts. She got so preoccupied that the only way to relax herself was to lean against the nearest heat source - Kaito. She moved closer, sending shivers down Kaito's spine and gushes of blood up on his cheeks. She breathed out heavily once more, giving Kaito the chance to speak up.

"Y-Your mom will be f-fine, K-Kuro-chan! You should be worrying about yourself." Kaito looked away but scooted closer to her, giving her a more comfortable position to lean on him. Sadly, she lifted her head off of his shoulder to look at him.

"Myself? Why would I worry about **myself**?" Rie raised an eyebrow at him, eyes widening in genuine confusion. He glanced at her quickly, 'Those eyes...! Why do they have to be so adorable at night-'

"W-well... I'm just saying that you breaking your promise to me about going to Kid-sama's heist won't go unnoticed! You'll pay, for your information." He huffed as he looked away from her and focused on the speeding scenery outside. Rie replied with a quiet groan as she slightly narrowed her eyes at him and went back to leaning on his shoulder.

Another shipment of blood was sent up to Kaito's cheeks, effectively seeping its way to his nose. One drop caused him to frantically (yet, without disturbing Rie) pull out a handkerchief and dab his nose with it. Rie had no exact idea how flustered she was making Kaito.

Aoko broke the awkward silence.

"Ne, Rie-chan!" Aoko smiled, looking at them through the mirror. Rie glanced up at her. "What kind of business did your Dad go into? I mean- what did he sell or stuff?" This made Rie lift her head off of Kaito's shoulder. An inaudible sigh of protest left his lips as he continued staring out the window. On the other hand, Rie still didn't know what Aoko meant.

'Business? Sell? What the-' A thought then occurred to her, 'Mom...!' She lowly growled to herself while back at their apartment, Fusae mischievously giggled when she suddenly remembered her little white lie.

"U-uh... Dad was... Um... He was a merchandise collector. Yeah! Yeah. He buys ninja and samurai items and collects them. You've seen most of them in the living room. He goes into stocks as well. Yeah." She smiled at Aoko, hoping she'll buy it. She did.

"Ahhh, that explains those...!" Aoko nodded and looked at Kaito, "And **we** thought he used them or something! Weird, right? Ahahaha!" She giggled happily to herself as she sat back properly on the passenger seat. Aoko pulled out her phone and earphones from her school bag and went on to enjoy her own little world.

Rie adjusted her glasses before turning away from Kaito, leaning on her hand with her chin and staring out the cab's other window.

'Only a few minutes before we arrive at Aoko's house...' Then, her mind went blank. She worried about too many things at once that her mind seemed to shut off, even for 10 seconds. Afterwards, she went back to her previous conversation with her best friend about her dad.

'Well... He **did** use them... Mom always told me I should practice using them more often but katanas like those aren't my thing... I prefer short swords or knives or daggers...' Rie yawned as she looked at her watch. 'Twenty-one-eight... It's still early...' Her eyes began to droop as she slowly forgot about the stresses life threw at her constantly.

'The Pandora. Akako. Snake. Kaitou Kid. Sanctuary Night.' The dual-identity holders in the back seat had the same thoughts as they sifted through them. Instinctively, they pulled out their phones, hoping to text the other.

"Where the heck are you, Sanc!? The heist was supposed to start hours ago! Thank the stars that that Hakuba prick told the police I wasn't coming." Rie glanced at Kaito, who was quick enough to hide his phone and pretend he was too busy looking out the window. With a quiet growl, Rie started typing.

"Apologies, Kaitou, had to go do some business. You know you could have proceeded with your heist without me."

"I'm sure you're aware that I can't start without you. You've become part of the daily routine. It just doesn't feel right without you watching my back."

"More like 'it just doesn't feel right to not have someone to boss around'." After reading her text, Kaito discreetly sucked in air through his teeth as a fake act of hurt.

"That cuts me deep, babe. I thought you'd have convinced yourself that I don't treat you as a servant." Much like Kaito's recent reaction, Rie stuck her tongue out in disgust and even made puking noises. Unluckily, Kaito heard it and turned to look at her.

"What's up, Kuro-chan? Who are you texting over there?" He had a sly smile on while Rie widened her eyes at him, being caught completely off guard.

"N-none of your dirty, pervy business." She cleared her throat and leered. He let out a chortle and returned to looking outside, a smile on his smug face.


	14. Chapter 14

\-- Nakamori's Household --

"Okay! So! Since we already ate, I'm thinking... Movies!" Aoko clapped her hands to get their attention. Rie was looking around since she'd never really been in her best friend's house before while Kaito was rummaging through the refrigerator.

"I'm not a movie person..." Rie said absentmindedly before she added, "Unless it's full on action and absolutely zero romance. Or animated. Animated movies are always cool." Aoko looped an arm around Rie's and pulled her towards the movie room.

"Animated, it is! Come on, Kaito! Stop going through my fridge and get your butt over here." A loud groan was heard a few ways back, followed by heavy footsteps.

"Was he always this childish?" Rie trudged along with Aoko, looking back at the mess of a magician.

"He's spoiled whenever he's in my place. We've always hung out here, after all. At first, I thought it was cute. Now it's just flat out annoying." Aoko shrugged and glanced at Rie with a smile. "But he's Kaito. He's not exactly the easiest to shake off, ne, Rie-chan?" Rie scoffed and smiled.

"Truer words have never been spoken." She stole a glance from him, fighting back a blush. Kaito looked up at the right moment, making Rie perk up and look back at her front again. He chose against teasing her this time, resorting to a small, contented smile instead.

They pushed through the movie room's doors and the smell of couches and popcorn filled their noses. Rie couldn't help but feel amazed.

"Woooooah... This place is so cozy... You never told me you had a room **just** for movies..."

"That's what **I** said when I first came in here. I was like, eight or nine years old then." Kaito added, taking a few steps ahead Rie. "So I guess that means you have the mind of an eight-year-old, Kuro-chan." He patted her head while clicking his tongue. The gesture of sarcastic pity.

"At least I don't look through another person's fridge like a starving crow, Kuro-kun." She shot back with a devilish smile. Kaito abruptly stopped patting and reeled his hand back, glaring at the girl.

"Oooh, nice one, Rie." She and Aoko high-fived and shared a short-lived laugh while Kaito rolled his eyes and plopped down on one of the beanbags.

"Someone get the popcorn and the movie started." He ordered with a wave of his hand. Aoko sighed as she turned to go get the popcorn when Rie stopped her.

"Wait here, I've got a plan for revenge on this jerk. Start the movie and I'll be right back." She winked behind her glasses and dashed away into the kitchen, leaving Aoko to grin as she quietly took her place in one of the chairs and started the movie using a universal remote.

In the kitchen, Rie looked for an unopened, un-popped popcorn bag. A smile tugged on her lips as she found one in the cupboards and made her way back into the movie room. As soon as she got back, she silently crept up on Kaito and slapped the bag right on his face. While Kaito was distracted, Rie jumped up and body slammed the boy, landing on his abdomen and causing him to yell in pain.

"There's your popcorn, you lazy oaf-" Before he could scream at her, Rie covered his mouth and stared at the movie screen, rolling down to lay across his lap on her stomach. "Is that a romance movie?" She asked, too engrossed to even look at him.

'Does she... Does she **like** romance movies?' Kaito raised an eyebrow as he studied Rie. 'She doesn't look like the type who does-' She suddenly turned her head to look at him.

"Well, is it?"

"Yeah... Yeah, I think so." She pushed herself off of his lap and readjusted her glasses, loudly sighing.

"Leave it to Aoko to pick one of my least favorite genres. Just great." She muttered, looking around the room and finding Aoko in the middle row of chairs.

'I just told you that I don't like romance.' She looked up at the screen again, only noticing then that it was an animated film. 'Okay, sure. It's animated but it's **still** romance- You know what, whatever.' She sighed as she glanced at Aoko again.

Aoko looked hypnotized, her eyes darting around the screen as a kissing scene unfolds. Rie grimaced as she turned away from it, shielding her eyes. Kaito couldn't help but smile at her odd behavior.

"So I take it you're not exactly fond of romance?" Kaito cheekily grinned at her. She glared at him, making him continue, "That explains why none of my pickup lines seem to work." She groaned in disgust and plopped down on the beanbag beside him.

"It makes me uncomfortable, to say the least." She muttered and looked up at the screen anyway.

"Oh yeah? Then why do you blush whenever I'm around?"

"Maybe because you're so embarrassing. I can't help but feel embarrassed hanging out with a big pervert like you."

"I am **not** a pervert."

"I'm sorry, but have you forgotten the earliest memory we have of each other?"

"Don't-" He didn't want to talk about it. He wanted to stop her. He had to stop himself as well, from blushing like mad.

"Just as I opened the door-"

"Kuro-chan-" Seriously, she had to stop. Another nosebleed wasn't something he needed.

"You didn't even know me yet-"

"I swear to-"

"And still, you flipped my skirt like any other girl."

" ** _Aaaaaggggh_**! I will kill you!" Kaito sprang from his seat and jumped on Rie, pinning her down by the hands to the carpet. She wasn't even the least bit fazed. In fact, she continued to tease him.

"What, finally realizing how pervertish you are, Kuro-kun?" She smirked evilly, only the movie screen was giving her face light. He was on his knees and elbows, holding her down. It surprised him that Rie wasn't offering any sort of resistance.

"I'm not a pervert." He repeated, vigorously shaking his head and trying to stop his blood. Rie chuckled, a happy tone, and gently raised her leg on Kaito's stomach. Before he can process her actions, he was grabbed by his wrist and thrown forward and over Rie's head. He landed on his back, stunned from both shock and pain. He gingerly tilted his head upwards, where Rie was supposed to be. She was tilting her head up as well. Rie smiled at Kaito's surprised expression.

"What just... Happened?" He croaked.

"I threw you over."

"How...?"

"It will be the universe's secret."

Kaito opened his mouth to say it didn't make sense when a phone rang. It was Aoko's. She tore her eyes away from the movie, frantically looked through her bag and ran outside, answering the call.

"I wonder who it is." Kaito asked, picking himself up and staring at the door Aoko left through.

"Are you **really** going to leave me here on the floor?"

"Yes." Rie sighed again and stood beside Kaito, brushing herself off from dust. They could hear shouting outside the room. "Probably her father again?" He guessed.

"Does she even shout at Nakamori-san?"

"I've... I've seen it before. It was horrible. It was the time when-" Kaito was cutoff mid-sentence as a terrified looking Aoko burst through the doors.

"Aoko? Aoko, is everything alright?" Rie rushed towards Aoko, not even spending three minutes on her spot beside Kaito. She grabbed the girl's shoulders and felt her trembling, her eyes widened in what seemed like fear.

"Kaitou..." She whispered. Rie leaned in closer.

"What...?" She kept her voice hushed so she wouldn't startle Aoko. Aoko shook her head in disbelief as she looked up at Rie, her horrified expression burning itself into Rie's mind.

"Kaitou Kid..." The name struck a nerve in Rie. She quickly glanced at Kaito Kuroba, who was now making his way towards the girls.

"What... What about him?"

"Dad... Dad said a civilian was killed during his heist."


	15. Chapter 15

"Dad... Dad said a civilian was killed during his heist."

"Wh- What!?" Rie's eyes widened before turning to look at Kaito. He finally made it to where the two were standing. As Rie spun around, she met Kaito directly behind her.

"Why the shocked face, Rie? Something happen?"

"Someone was killed during one of y-" She caught her tongue, breathed deeply and continued, "Y- Your idol's heists. A while ago. Right, Aoko?" She glanced sidelong at a shaking Aoko. 

Kaito froze. His gaze shifted from Rie to Aoko then landing on the floor. There was no way. Could the police be suspecting him? They couldn't be. He's not even there. He can't kill another person. He needed to know more about this. Kaito opened his mouth to talk when Aoko beat him to it.

"Dad... We have to go there now!" She snapped, angrily looking at Kaito. He stepped back from her. He's used to seeing her pissed but not like this. Never like this. "Where is he? Where was he supposed to-" With every word, Aoko's voice rose. Rie placed her hands on Aoko's shoulders again and looked straight into her eyes.

"Calm down, Aoko-chan. Your father is fine. We need to be thinking straight, alright? I'll go get a taxi. You two meet me outside." Rie rushed out of the room, eventually out of the house and on the streets.

"The museum, Aoko. As usual." He replied, despite being shaken by the news, his voice was still as suave as ever. He could hear Aoko breathing heavily, trying her best to calm down.

"Okay. Okay... Let's go outside." She turned on her heels and left the room with Kaito.

Rie didn't have that much trouble with hauling a taxi. It didn't take her more than five minutes since the streets outside were buzzing with cars. To the right was the way to the museum, where the recent terrible news occurred. Traffic began to build up as more vehicles, whether they wanted to go there or not, took up every lane. The taxi parked itself in front of her and out of the way of the other cars. Rie thought to yourself while waiting.

'If it was only me, I'd get there in no time! It's just...' Rie glanced at the Nakamori household's porch, 'I have them with me. The next thing I need is more suspicions thrown at me.' She grumbled as the thoughts she was supposed to forget for the weekend washed over her.

Kaitou Kid. Akako Koizumi. Pandora. Sanctuary Night. The Organization. And now a murder case? Everything was too much even for Rie. 

She snapped out of her reverie when the door creaked. Out of the door came Aoko and Kaito, both looking deathly stressed. Rie opened the taxi door for Aoko while Kaito took up the front seat. The lengthy ride was quiet. The three had their minds preoccupied with too much at once. 

Yet, Rie and Kaito thought as one as they turned to Aoko, the one who was most worried. Her father was there at the scene, and even though he called her himself, Aoko wasn't convinced everything was okay. 

"Ginzou-san is fine, Aoko... He's your father and an inspector, I'm sure he took care of himself well. Please don't worry..." Rie talked slowly and gently, making sure she wouldn't provoke her. Aoko let out a sigh and a smile.

"Yeah... Yeah, you're right... Dad wouldn't be reckless. Everything is fine." Rie smiled with her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"What else did he say about the... The thing..?" She whispered. Aoko held her breath before answering.

"I... All I could focus on was... We know who died. I mean- it's someone we know but never really interacted with that much..."

"Even me?" Rie has only been in their school for a couple of months and chose not to mingle with the rest of the class besides Aoko, Hakuba, and Kaito.

"Her name's Akako... Akako Koizumi..."

"Akako's been killed? Bullshit." Kaito muttered. 'I want her killed but I didn't expect someone else to actually do it.'

"A civilian's a civilian, Kuro-kun. Let's just see for ourselves." Rie glared at the front seat and turned back to Aoko, "I've seen her before... But all she ever did when I look at her was leer at me." She tried to put on an act about not knowing who she is, despite crossing dagger-to-gun against her a few weeks back.

"Akako's always like that... She's extremely friendly with Kaito though..."

"I have no idea why."

"Of course you don't, you pervert."

"You're still calling me a pervert, you bore."

"So I'm boring now."

"You've always been boring."

"This is the first time I've heard you call me that." Their bickering was interrupted by Aoko's light giggles. The two of them glanced at each other and smiled. Mission success. They arrived at the museum not too long after that. Kaito made way through the crowd, Aoko followed behind him while Rie took up the rear. 

"Aoko! Aoko, I'm over here!" Her dad waved from their right. Ginzou-san waited for them to come over and when they did, immediately hugged Aoko.

"Dad, you're alright! I'm so relieved!" Aoko cried onto her father's shoulder while Rie and Kaito backed away, giving the two their well deserved privacy. 

As the Kuros looked around, they noticed police officers and some paramedics off to the side of the entrance.

"So... You never told me much about this Akako girl." Rie started, speculating that the circle of people were tending to Akako's 'body'.

"There isn't much to say, really." Kaito replied, 'You already know about her, Naito-chan. You even fought her. You really think you need to put on the ignorant act? Or that I wouldn't see through it?'

"Really," Rie scoffed then looked at him, "And to think you're not worried about your Kid-sama. I expected you to be running around trying to look for him or, at least, ask around what he knows about this whole thing. It's as if..."

"I already know? Is that where you're going with this?" Kaito looked back at her and as they locked eyes, the atmosphere around the two turned serious and deadly.

"I was going for 'You already know because you're actually Kid' but yeah, sure. The first half by itself is acceptable." Rie didn't as much as smile while looking at him. Kaito parted his lips to retort before Hakuba ran up to them. The tension was broken as their mutual stress was spontaneously directed to the English detective.

"What are you guys doing here? Don't tell me you brought Aoko-kun with you!" Hakuba furrowed his eyebrows in both worry and irritation. 'How dare you show yourself as a bystander when you caused all this-'

"We're here because of Aoko. She insisted. We were all," Rie slightly raised her tone at the word for emphasis, "the three of us, hanging out in Aoko's house when she got a call about this whole thing. Us coming here - it wasn't exactly in our control." She continued before he accused Kaito of killing Akako.

"I... I see. I did not expect Kid to let a civilian die in his midst. A female student, at that matter. Knowing him, he'd be seducing her, not causing her to fall to her death." Hakuba's words dripped with sorrow as he cast his gaze downwards. Kaito and Rie cringed.

"She... Fell? From where?" Kaito was anything but composed. He's been falsely charged for murder multiple times as Kid but the fact that the victim was someone he knew and was personally associated to, it struck a different nerve. What Hakuba pointed out was true too, how he'd never let an audience to his heist get badly injured, let alone die whilst he stole gems.

"I'm guessing from up there." Rie looked up and saw a balcony three stories high above them for sightseeing. Police securing the entrance to the museum downstairs were shouting into the walkie talkies while looking up at the policemen on the balcony. What are they were shouting was incoherent to the three, even at a distance so close.

"Hakuba-kun... Just... Just what happened?" Rie felt the scent of death sink in around them. There was silence and noise at the same time. She didn't want to break the ice, but she knew Kaito couldn't ask it. She heard Hakuba inhale deeply and exhale in the same manner. He braced himself for the tale he was about to tell.

"It was... It was all so sudden. I planned to come in late, knowing Kid wouldn't make an appearance," He glanced in Kaito's direction with a pause and he continued, "and yet, he did. I was called to the scene, not expecting anything to happen. It could've been an impostor which is quite ironic since the thief himself is quite a cosplayer." Rie stifled a laugh, resulting in a snort. Neither boys noticed, for her fortune.

"But no, he seemed to be the real deal. He acted... Normal. The heist was nothing worthy of mention. It was his exit that caused this whole disaster. A civilian... Our... Our victim... She tried to bar him from escaping. It was at the balcony. He tried to escape through that balcony..." Hakuba finished and Rie prepared for an answer, but he continued.

"He enchanted her for a second, spraying something at her face and we watched as the smoke cleared. They... They were dancing. Dancing until Kid had her right on the railing and that's when he... he pushed her off. Not as a stunt, not as a joke, he intended to push her off. He was even... He was even smiling. After that, he flew away in that damn hang glider, a double crime on his top hat." Hakuba looked away, his face darkened in regret. He was there when it happened and yet he couldn't - didn't, he believed - do anything. He was a detective. He was supposed to save people.

"Smiling... Kaitou Kid planned pushing this girl off. None of this is natural. I don't even think the heist was natural." She thought out loud, watching the paramedics push a stretcher with Akako on it towards the ambulance parked nearby. It was a split second, but Rie saw the amount of blood that came from her head. She turned to Hakuba, "Think, Haku-san. There's got to be something. Something that proves whoever committed this crime isn't Kid. Maybe he's being framed. He's famous, there are many people out there who would want him behind bars-"

"Rie-san, are you still defending that thief?" 

"I... I... I'm not- I just... I just have a bad feeling about this..." The question took her by surprise. What she'd been saying did sound as if she was on his side. She didn't want to admit it, but she was. Not because of their contract about Pandora, but because of something more personal. Kaitou Kid was her friend. She was a witness to his innocence. Regardless if Kaito Kuroba will be in danger or not, or whether he was even truly Kaitou Kid, she felt entitled to her partner.

"He is a thief. Now he's also a murderer. No one can deny that fact." Hakuba mumbled, loud enough for them to hear. Rie clenched her fists, acknowledging the truth in his words.

"Kid-sama isn't a murderer. He's being framed." Kaito replied in a matter-of-fact manner, staring up at the balcony. The words slipped out of his mouth, even though he wasn't ready to fight for it. Of course he knew Kid didn't do it.

"Stop your bias with him and face it, Kuroba-kun! Your Kid-sama claimed a life! You still think he deserves the respect you give him!?" Hakuba tried to keep his voice in check but failed. He was irritated that Kaito was so calm even at a time like then. Policemen and passersby looked at the English detective, curious as to why he was riled up and shouting. Kaito huffed and looked down, avoiding to react on the numerous eyes fixed at them. A policeman strolled towards the three.

"Excuse me, Hakuba-san... You might want to see this..." He handed Hakuba a small and wrinkled piece of paper. Rie and Kaito took places on both of his shoulders and peered over them, looking at what might be written.

"The search has made me grown weary.  
A spice in the dish will make things interesting,  
And that spice shall be the one.  
The one of which you trust the most.

\- Faux Kaito Kid (scribble)"


	16. Chapter 16

After reading the note from a so-called "Faux Kaitou Kid", Rie and Kaito simultaneously smirked. They have been proven right. Hakuba was stunned as he gripped the paper and read it over and over and over again.

"It wasn't him. It's not Kaitou Kid. An impostor of an impostor." Kaito muttered and turned to the fleeting ambulance. "My respect for him stands. Kid-sama is a victim too, and as long as we don't have Faux in our grasp, it is wrong to convict him of murder. Ne, Rie?" He gave her a bright smile as she replied with a determined nod.

"That bastard...! He killed someone because he was bored!? That son-of-a-bitch...!" Hakuba crushed the note in his palm and turned to Rie and Kaito. They flinched at the sight of Hakuba pissed out of his wits. "You two! I order you to help me in this case! You will help me find out who Faux is, where he is hiding, and capture him the first chance we get!"

'What makes you think you can order us around, you-'

"Our pleasure, Haku-san. It is an honor to work with you." Rie kept Kaito at bay as she bowed in acceptance to Hakuba's demand. While Kaito grunted complaints at Rie, Hakuba already started walking away and into the museum's entrance. Now left alone, Kaito let his thoughts out.

"What the hell, Rie! I don't want to work with that guy! He's a huge prick and-"

"I've thought about it, Kaito. Just think. He's our ticket in any sort of evidence acquired in the crime scene. Right now, the only labels we have are 'students and passersby'. You think authorities will let people with labels like those investigate, let alone get close, to the scene? Drop your pride and think things through." Rie patted his shoulder and glanced at Aoko who was smiling and having a conversation with Ginzou, her father. Even though she'd been crying, the relief she felt after knowing he was fine despite being involved in a murder case helped her back into her normal, cheerful self. Kaito looked at them as well and sighed.

"Fine. I'm only doing this because you told me so, not because I want to." Rie gave him a nonchalant thumbs up before everything went black. That was the last thing he remembered before Kaito woke up the day after.

The groggy boy sat up from his futon and looked around through crusty eyes. The curtains let sunlight into the room, a thin beam that landed on his face. He wiped his eyes to get rid of dizziness and yawned. The night before left him - left all of them - exhausted. As he stretched and woke up his muscles, he found Rie sleeping on the couch while Aoko slept on the futon to the left of him, both wearing respective colored pajamas. Rie wore black, with respect to her family name, while Aoko wore blue, with respect to her given name. They were in the living room, by unanimous decision. Aoko refused to let Kaito into her room and Rie didn't want to stay in the guest room alone with him either. They chose to just sleep in one big room, no objections were heard.

Seeing his best friends soundly sleeping tempted him to go back to sleep as well, but his body clock denied his choice. He groaned as he completely stood up, trying not to remember the events from last night. He drowned out the thought by thinking about the reason why he and Rie are sleeping over at Aoko's house in the first place: to help Rie relax.

"With these two around, I'll do anything but relax..." He murmured after a yawn. While his eyes were closed, he heard shuffling by the couch which meant Rie woke up.

"Shut up, Kuro-kun... We should be the one complaining... You weren't even supposed to be in this sleepover, remember..." Rie's voice was raspy, as expected from a dry throat. She sluggishly removed the blanket over her as she sat up, putting on her glasses after experiencing temporary blindness from sudden blood rush.

"So that's what you look like when you don't have your hair in a braid..." Kaito drew closer to the couch and leaned down, leveling his eyes with Rie's. 'I mean... I've sort of seen it before but it was when Naito-chan had it from a bun so there were waves... Your bed hair is fully spiky...' He held out a hand and smoothed out the spikes of her bed hair, surprised at how soft it was.

"What, did you actually expect that my hair can prick you?" Rie joked as she weakly slapped away his hand as she fixed her hair on her own.

"First I get to see you without your braid. Now I learn that it's soft as hell. Well, not like I think hell is soft but that's besides the point - you're just one surprise after another, aren't you..? And all this right after we wake up." He laughed and stepped away from the couch, allowing Rie to get off of it and stand up to stretch.

"You don't ask. It would've saved you from the trouble of finding out yourself." She retorted while tying her hair. "I'm going to the bathroom." She trudged out of the living room to freshen up. Kaito thought of waking up Aoko but then he remembered how much of a mistake that was. He chose to sit down on the couch - Rie's proxy bed - and think of things they could do that day.

Meanwhile, Rie thought of how they would use up the day as well while brushing her teeth. They could go to the park but they've done that too many times to know that that's boring. It took her a while to collect her final thoughts. A good hour or two in the arcades, a couple more in the closest shopping district, going to restaurants here and there, and a lengthy stroll through the forest as the final stop: those were her plans for the day. As for Kaito...

He didn't really use up the time to think like Rie did. How did you expect him to do anything if he was surrounded by the scent of his beloved Naito-chan? He rolled around in her blanket and placed his head on her pillow, smiling and giggling like the flustered fanboy that he was. He made sure to be quiet, so as to not wake up Aoko and avoid a year's worth of teasing.

'She was sooooo cool last night...! How she was so calm and collected while I was batshit confused! Aaaaaahhhhh... Rieeeee....' He hummed happily and sighed contentedly. This was not the best scene to come back to for Rie. She blankly looked at Kaito, seeing him under her blankets.

"What in the world do you think you're doing, Kuro-kun?" As soon as Kaito heard her voice, he jumped up and off of the couch. With his back on her, he stuttered.

"I just wanted to relax my back... The floor is cold and Aoko took the fluffy futon, you know. I couldn't very much push Ahoko out of the way. The couch, on the other hand, was currently unoccupied." He turned to face her, nervous that she might see his blush. The room was dim enough to conceal it, to his fortune. Rie continued to stare at him and shrugged.

"Yeah, okay. We should cook breakfast. It's the least we can do as thanks to Aoko for letting us sleep over." With that, she left the room again and headed to the kitchen, hearing Kaito following her.

"I'm thinking rice bowls for breakfast. Rice bowls with eggs on top, how about that?" She asked as she opened the lights to the kitchen. Kaito simply hummed a yes and the two started making the most important meal of the day for their host.

The alluring smell of freshly cooked scrambled eggs wafted into the living room, effectively waking up Aoko from her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes, taking her time in sitting up and stretching. She hasn't slept that peacefully in ages. Ironic how the events from last night and the fact that Kaito was right beside her when she slept didn't hinder her from getting the sleep she deserved.

"Rie-chan...? BaKaito...?" She tiredly called out. No reply was heard. With a playful huff, she stood up and rubbed her eyes. She looked around and saw their beds empty. 'Where... Are they...?' She yawned once more, only to snap her mouth shut as panic struck her.

"Where are they!? Rie and Kaito might be wrecking the whole town by now!" She dashed out the room and was immediately greeted by her friends, together with the meal they prepared. They smiled sweetly and waved her over, gesturing at the empty seat beside Rie. With her eyes wide in shock, Aoko raised a hand to them and walked to the bathroom.

"Guess she's still asleep, huh? Why was she in a hurry to get out of the living room though?"

"Ahoko was probably worried you'd break something in here."

"You mean she's worried about you breaking something in here. I bet you've broken tons of stuff already. It's a miracle Nakamori-san lets you in here-" Kaito's groan cut through Rie's sentence.

"It's way too early for you to be snapping back like that, Kuro-chan...! Not everyone has an early bird's mind like you do." He followed with a look that was a mix of irritation and curiosity. Rie raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

Soon after that, Aoko came back with her hair fixed and face practically gleaming with energy.

"Sorry I took so long! Did you two cook this? It smells wonderful!" She sat down beside Rie and hurriedly took her first bite. "This is... This is...! Sooooo goooood!" Aoko smiled as much as she could while Rie, as the cook, blushed in embarrassment. She looked away and grinned, thankful that Aoko liked her eggs a little sweeter than usual since she personally liked it that way too.

"Aww, Aoko, you made Rie-chan blush! Adorable~" Kaito mused, eating a piece of his scrambled eggs with a cat-like smile at Rie. She looked away even farther, flustered by the teasing of her friends.

"You guys just sh-shut up and eat your food... It's a basic dish, a-anyone can cook it..." She faced them and started grumpily eating her own breakfast. Comical tears of joy and embarrassment dripped down her eyes as she realized how delicious her cooking really was. The two, on her left and across from her, were laughing happily, knowing that their objective for the weekend has already been accomplished.

After the laughter, and eventually breakfast, was over, they returned to the living room and talked about their plans for that day while making their 'beds'.

"I think Rie's forest idea is good. You know, going from shrine to shrine. There's nothing more peaceful than that." Aoko hauled up her futon and wobbled towards the corner of the room, where she placed it back down on top of Kaito's.

"Yeah but that should be the last thing we do. I say we go wild first." Kaito folded their blankets - he may or may not secretly grinned at the scent of Rie's - and tucked them away in the corner as well.

"Go wild on what? We can go shopping, if that's what you're implying." As a final step, Rie stacked their pillows on the futon-blanket corner. With the work done, they heaved a tired breath.

"I know you girls can't live without shopping, so yeah, whatever," Before Aoko can high five Rie, who was less enthusiastic about the idea despite her being the one who suggested it, Kaito followed up with, "But we go to the arcades after. I heard they actually put up some PlayStations booths. I wanna see how Rie will fare."

"I don't play videogames." She shrugged, remembering that she said that before, on their first date.

"You never know! You might like it! Even Aoko likes to Smash." Kaito smiled at Aoko who nodded.

"Well... Since you are taking us shopping... I guess I shouldn't be prissy about you and your videogames..." Rie sighed in defeat (while Aoko and Kaito bumped their fists), grabbed her bag, and headed to the bathroom. "I'm going to the shower and change clothes. I'll be quick." As they watched stride out of the room, Aoko commented.

"I just noticed... Rie always says the stuff she's about to do."


End file.
